Showing posts with label Victory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Victory. Show all posts
Sunday, December 26, 2021
The Non-Violent Christus Victor
Jesus' 'victory' is unique in that it is a non-violent victory. He wins but He never uses the methods of those who are against Him. Jesus 'won' by giving His life not by conquering Rome or by wrestling each Pharisee to the ground one by one.
Our victory is a non-violent one also.
"He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." - 1 John 2:10-14 KJV
Love wins.
Television shows us violent people who can only be overcome by violence but Jesus shows us a different victory. It is one that transforms. It isn't a purely moral change. An eye for an eye is moral. Turning the other cheek sows a seed that can win a soul and that is forever.
--
Thursday, March 22, 2018
An Echo Of Victory
"As he was drawing near - already on the way down the Mount of Olives - the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, 'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples.' He answered, 'I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.' " - Luke 19:37-40 ESV
Just thinking about this day in history. What a day it must have been.
In the back of my mind I can't help but think, 'It was a great day but it is short lived. The cross is coming in just a few days. He will endure so much. Trials. Rejection. Pain.'
That is true and we can flinch at that but this short day was an echo in time of this great future day.
"Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one. The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security. And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps. Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths." - Zechariah 14:3-16 ESV
2,000 years ago Jesus rode into the city in humility on a borrowed animal of small stature that had never held a rider but in this future day He will roar like a lion and break that mountain in two. Oppression will also be broken. 2,000 years ago He gave a quiet answer to His critics but in His future return He will rule in glory and have a zero tolerance policy for anyone who tries to oppress His people.
Yes. 2,000 years ago was an echo in time of a great thunderous future event but this morning this event echoes in my soul. I read it and I believe it.
If His cross is our cross we can also expect His victory to be our victory.
--
Just thinking about this day in history. What a day it must have been.
In the back of my mind I can't help but think, 'It was a great day but it is short lived. The cross is coming in just a few days. He will endure so much. Trials. Rejection. Pain.'
That is true and we can flinch at that but this short day was an echo in time of this great future day.
"Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one. The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security. And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps. Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths." - Zechariah 14:3-16 ESV
2,000 years ago Jesus rode into the city in humility on a borrowed animal of small stature that had never held a rider but in this future day He will roar like a lion and break that mountain in two. Oppression will also be broken. 2,000 years ago He gave a quiet answer to His critics but in His future return He will rule in glory and have a zero tolerance policy for anyone who tries to oppress His people.
Yes. 2,000 years ago was an echo in time of a great thunderous future event but this morning this event echoes in my soul. I read it and I believe it.
If His cross is our cross we can also expect His victory to be our victory.
--
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Enjoy The Victory
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV
I'm reading a booklet and the Pastor says something interesting about besetting sin...
'Smoking is not the real issue; the issue is that this person enjoys no victory. His health is being tremendously affected. The whole issue behind his predicament is a besetting sin that he will not let go. As a result, He is limited in his blessings, in his process, and in his progress in the Kingdom of God. He has admitted that he doesn't feel right when he smokes, but he will not receive victory above his preoccupation.' -Carl H Stevens, Jr (Church Leadership)
The part that caught me this morning was '...he enjoys no victory...'
We need to enjoy victory. You might say, 'I'm not a competitive person'. Ok. I get that. But victory comes in many forms.
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." - Revelation 12:10-11 KJV
Who did 'they' overcome in this Heavenly vision of the future? They overcame 'the accuser' who told them that their identity was something less than what it was.
The Blood of the Lamb = The reality that sin has been paid for and delt with
The Word of Their Testimony = The story they rehearsed about God's faithfulness
Loved Not Their Lives = The lived like eternity was real
Oversimplified. Yes. Maybe a little.
It isn't the smoking. It's the cycle of defeat. Jesus provides a counter spin of victory that overcomes the whirlpool of accusation. Every believer is an overcomer because of the blood but no believer will experience daily victories unless they talk truth against the current and live beyond self-love.
You are a winner. Say it. You have won because of Jesus.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:35-39 ESV
I like the 'no' in that passage. That 'no' shows a contest. Let's win that battle today and say, 'No. We (not i) are more than conquerors.' because the accusation isn't just against us and we don't live in victory just for ourselves.
--
I'm reading a booklet and the Pastor says something interesting about besetting sin...
'Smoking is not the real issue; the issue is that this person enjoys no victory. His health is being tremendously affected. The whole issue behind his predicament is a besetting sin that he will not let go. As a result, He is limited in his blessings, in his process, and in his progress in the Kingdom of God. He has admitted that he doesn't feel right when he smokes, but he will not receive victory above his preoccupation.' -Carl H Stevens, Jr (Church Leadership)
The part that caught me this morning was '...he enjoys no victory...'
We need to enjoy victory. You might say, 'I'm not a competitive person'. Ok. I get that. But victory comes in many forms.
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." - Revelation 12:10-11 KJV
Who did 'they' overcome in this Heavenly vision of the future? They overcame 'the accuser' who told them that their identity was something less than what it was.
The Blood of the Lamb = The reality that sin has been paid for and delt with
The Word of Their Testimony = The story they rehearsed about God's faithfulness
Loved Not Their Lives = The lived like eternity was real
Oversimplified. Yes. Maybe a little.
It isn't the smoking. It's the cycle of defeat. Jesus provides a counter spin of victory that overcomes the whirlpool of accusation. Every believer is an overcomer because of the blood but no believer will experience daily victories unless they talk truth against the current and live beyond self-love.
You are a winner. Say it. You have won because of Jesus.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:35-39 ESV
I like the 'no' in that passage. That 'no' shows a contest. Let's win that battle today and say, 'No. We (not i) are more than conquerors.' because the accusation isn't just against us and we don't live in victory just for ourselves.
--
Monday, July 24, 2017
What Abounds More?
"Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 5:20-21 ESV
Who is the better athlete? Is it man's sinfulness or God's grace? The work that grace does in a person 'abounds' more than what sin is capable of.
Sin reigned (past tense) in death but grace reigns in right standing which is vital to eternal life. What a statement!
Grace gives right standing in one faith transaction. Believe in Jesus and all of a sudden a person is right with God forever and reigning in righteousness eternally in their standing.
Sin brings shame (self-hatred) but grace disarms and undoes that work in it's continual multiplication.
" 'Ah, stubborn children,' declares the LORD, 'who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;...' " - Isaiah 30:1 ESV
"May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." - 2 Peter 1:2 ESV
"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you." - 1 Peter 1:1-2 ESV
Sin is added but grace multiplies.
Sin can reign in a person's life until it kills them and brings them into a Godless eternity. It is powerful. More powerful than a person's will or human goodness but it is small potatoes compared to God's grace.
Grace is the winner!
What will happen in our situations this week? Will we believe God and let grace do it's work or will we just live in the addition of sin in our experience? We have the option to believe and operate proactively from rest and we will be amazed at the eventual outcome.
--
Who is the better athlete? Is it man's sinfulness or God's grace? The work that grace does in a person 'abounds' more than what sin is capable of.
Sin reigned (past tense) in death but grace reigns in right standing which is vital to eternal life. What a statement!
Grace gives right standing in one faith transaction. Believe in Jesus and all of a sudden a person is right with God forever and reigning in righteousness eternally in their standing.
Sin brings shame (self-hatred) but grace disarms and undoes that work in it's continual multiplication.
" 'Ah, stubborn children,' declares the LORD, 'who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;...' " - Isaiah 30:1 ESV
"May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." - 2 Peter 1:2 ESV
"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you." - 1 Peter 1:1-2 ESV
Sin is added but grace multiplies.
Sin can reign in a person's life until it kills them and brings them into a Godless eternity. It is powerful. More powerful than a person's will or human goodness but it is small potatoes compared to God's grace.
Grace is the winner!
What will happen in our situations this week? Will we believe God and let grace do it's work or will we just live in the addition of sin in our experience? We have the option to believe and operate proactively from rest and we will be amazed at the eventual outcome.
--
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Believing Caleb / Winning The Wolf
March 17th, 2017
Today is going to be the best day of my life. I have chosen to believe Caleb about the promised land and skip Numbers chapter 14 and all of the rest of the wanderings of that book. The Gospel gives me (us) a land overflowing with milk and honey and giants that will make a big thud when they fall.
A Rhema (divinely inspired word) for me today... We can agree with Caleb this morning when the day is fresh and new and skip to Joshua 1:2 or we can deal with Korah and Balaam for the rest of our lives.
There may be no wedding today... no babies born... no graduation planned... just the Gospel makes this potentially the best day of our lives.
------
March 18th, 2017
"But David said to Saul, 'Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears...' " - 1 Samuel 17:34-36a ESV
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." - Isaiah 11:6 KJV
"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD." - Isaiah 65:25 KJV
Is nature normal? Seems like an odd question. Secular science says, 'Yes, Of course it is.' but the Bible says that what we see now is not what we will see later.
Wolves don't live with lambs but they will.
Dogs are canines but they live with us they are close to wolves.
I heard an account a while back on radio about an area that had a large number of dogs go missing. One wolf would appear near a dogs yard and play with him or her. Then one day the dog would just disappear. One dog can play with one wolf but then the pack shows up and that dog has no place there. It becomes food for the pack.
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." - Luke 11:21-23 ESV
Jesus is the stronger man in this picture. He enters the broken natural world that is influenced by fallen angels and He binds the strong man in his own fortress. He pulls the wild man out of the pack and makes him into something else. That man gets saved not eaten. He is transformed. He or she is made into a family member.
Fitting in (if it is even possible) only makes us vulnerable to a vicious nature. God wants to restore normality. Being with Him is normal and right. This world has been wrong for a long long time. It has been wrong for as long as anyone can remember.
Win a soul today and make it right again.
In this age this restoration is done one person at a time. Walk with the stronger man who isn't lying in wait to shed blood. He is a king who has taken on the role of a servant. He Is the royal lion uncorrupted by the world and the lamb who is no one's victim. He is the Savior and He has come into this world to seek and save the lost. He washes feet and wins hearts and minds with his gracious kindness. We can be 'about' His Father's business.
--
Today is going to be the best day of my life. I have chosen to believe Caleb about the promised land and skip Numbers chapter 14 and all of the rest of the wanderings of that book. The Gospel gives me (us) a land overflowing with milk and honey and giants that will make a big thud when they fall.
A Rhema (divinely inspired word) for me today... We can agree with Caleb this morning when the day is fresh and new and skip to Joshua 1:2 or we can deal with Korah and Balaam for the rest of our lives.
There may be no wedding today... no babies born... no graduation planned... just the Gospel makes this potentially the best day of our lives.
March 18th, 2017
"But David said to Saul, 'Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears...' " - 1 Samuel 17:34-36a ESV
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." - Isaiah 11:6 KJV
"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD." - Isaiah 65:25 KJV
Is nature normal? Seems like an odd question. Secular science says, 'Yes, Of course it is.' but the Bible says that what we see now is not what we will see later.
Wolves don't live with lambs but they will.
Dogs are canines but they live with us they are close to wolves.
I heard an account a while back on radio about an area that had a large number of dogs go missing. One wolf would appear near a dogs yard and play with him or her. Then one day the dog would just disappear. One dog can play with one wolf but then the pack shows up and that dog has no place there. It becomes food for the pack.
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." - Luke 11:21-23 ESV
Jesus is the stronger man in this picture. He enters the broken natural world that is influenced by fallen angels and He binds the strong man in his own fortress. He pulls the wild man out of the pack and makes him into something else. That man gets saved not eaten. He is transformed. He or she is made into a family member.
Fitting in (if it is even possible) only makes us vulnerable to a vicious nature. God wants to restore normality. Being with Him is normal and right. This world has been wrong for a long long time. It has been wrong for as long as anyone can remember.
In this age this restoration is done one person at a time. Walk with the stronger man who isn't lying in wait to shed blood. He is a king who has taken on the role of a servant. He Is the royal lion uncorrupted by the world and the lamb who is no one's victim. He is the Savior and He has come into this world to seek and save the lost. He washes feet and wins hearts and minds with his gracious kindness. We can be 'about' His Father's business.
--
Friday, August 12, 2016
Flee Youthful Lusts
"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." - 2 Timothy 2:22-26 ESV
If you don't sound a retreat from certain situations then 'the slanderer' will have certain latitude to affect you. It is that simple.
In a way it is a good picture of repentance... turning away from one thing to pursue another. A young bachelor who likes having one pretty young thing on his arm after another until such a time as when he decides to settle down is a wrecking ball for young female souls. Youthful lust destroys things and then leaves room for the slanderer because (figuratively speaking) He get a whole notepad full of material for accusation to use and reuse later.
But then when that same young person has a new identity in Christ they heed a different voice... this mature voice talks about value and not escape... It highlights full grown ideas... it isn't looking to set fire with matches or with ideas just to watch something burn... that is what little boys do... peace becomes important because death is no longer abstract.
"...along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." - 2 Timothy 2:22b ESV
This kind of pursuit requires companions who are doing the same thing. Iron sharpens iron. The womanizer's conquests are solitary fleeting satisfactions but the one who pursues righteousness is like an Olympic athlete. The whole country rejoices with each win. Even competitive teammates rejoice that their team took home a medal even if they weren't the ones to do it.
Do we know how to retreat? Can we say, 'I'm out of here.' in certain charged situations. If we don't then it is very very profitable to learn. Youthful lust is just a few clicks away in an internet browser. It is an isolated conversation away with a needy vulnerable person.
Don't do it! Run away.
Pursue righteousness. I would say, 'No one ever regretted pursuing righteousness.' but I'm sure some have because of deception. I will say that when a person stands before God any regret is going to flee because He loves it every time we seek Him or His priorities. He is blessed beyond measure by the smallest expressions of faith. When we are finally in His presence we will see just how much it means to Him in a much fuller way.
--
If you don't sound a retreat from certain situations then 'the slanderer' will have certain latitude to affect you. It is that simple.
In a way it is a good picture of repentance... turning away from one thing to pursue another. A young bachelor who likes having one pretty young thing on his arm after another until such a time as when he decides to settle down is a wrecking ball for young female souls. Youthful lust destroys things and then leaves room for the slanderer because (figuratively speaking) He get a whole notepad full of material for accusation to use and reuse later.
But then when that same young person has a new identity in Christ they heed a different voice... this mature voice talks about value and not escape... It highlights full grown ideas... it isn't looking to set fire with matches or with ideas just to watch something burn... that is what little boys do... peace becomes important because death is no longer abstract.
"...along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." - 2 Timothy 2:22b ESV
This kind of pursuit requires companions who are doing the same thing. Iron sharpens iron. The womanizer's conquests are solitary fleeting satisfactions but the one who pursues righteousness is like an Olympic athlete. The whole country rejoices with each win. Even competitive teammates rejoice that their team took home a medal even if they weren't the ones to do it.
Do we know how to retreat? Can we say, 'I'm out of here.' in certain charged situations. If we don't then it is very very profitable to learn. Youthful lust is just a few clicks away in an internet browser. It is an isolated conversation away with a needy vulnerable person.
Don't do it! Run away.
Pursue righteousness. I would say, 'No one ever regretted pursuing righteousness.' but I'm sure some have because of deception. I will say that when a person stands before God any regret is going to flee because He loves it every time we seek Him or His priorities. He is blessed beyond measure by the smallest expressions of faith. When we are finally in His presence we will see just how much it means to Him in a much fuller way.
--
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Jingle. Jingle.
"...But he laid his right hand on me, saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades...' " - Revelation 1:17b-18 ESV
Jingle. Jingle. He has the master keys to every bondage and He holds them up with two fingers smiling and waving them over His head.
Fear not. Those handcuffs of doubt are about to drop to the floor. That cell is about to swing open wide. Fear not. Jesus has knocked out death cold. Hell can't hold him. He has regained the keys that Adam unwitting handed over to the Devil. Power has transferred hands. Your friend, the one who will never leave of forsake you, has the keys to death and Hades.
Jingle. Jingle.
'Hey fear! What's that you were saying again? I can't hear you.'
Jingle. Jingle.
--
Jingle. Jingle. He has the master keys to every bondage and He holds them up with two fingers smiling and waving them over His head.
Fear not. Those handcuffs of doubt are about to drop to the floor. That cell is about to swing open wide. Fear not. Jesus has knocked out death cold. Hell can't hold him. He has regained the keys that Adam unwitting handed over to the Devil. Power has transferred hands. Your friend, the one who will never leave of forsake you, has the keys to death and Hades.
Jingle. Jingle.
'Hey fear! What's that you were saying again? I can't hear you.'
Jingle. Jingle.
--
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Flank The Enemies With The Finished Work
"Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. Therefore when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget." - Deuteronomy 25:17-19 ESV
Remember your enemy so you can blot out your enemy.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Remember what your flesh is like. Observe what the world is. Identity that the Devil is a lying accuser and always will be. Then blot out the memory of the past hurtful actions because God has given us a new identity. Cut it off like extra string on a newly sewn button. Jesus' work on the cross has tied it up tight so we can cut off any extra and be done with it.
"And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it. So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night.
And he commanded them, 'Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us just as before, we shall flee before them. And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, "They are fleeing from us, just as before." So we will flee before them. Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will give it into your hand. And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you.' " - Joshua 8:2-8 ESV
The memory baits the enemy and draws that thing out. The finished work of Christ flanks all three foes so that they are caught out in the open. The finished work now gives us back the life they used to possess as a stronghold.
Jericho fell because we circled it and surveyed it with the finished work in mind. Seven is the number of completion... 5, 6, 7... grace, man, 'It is finished!'... The trumpets blew and the Israelites shouted and the wall was pushed down into the ground by angels.
Each stronghold falls like Jericho fell. We do what we did to Jericho. We claim the finished work. Draw out the enemy. Let the flesh think for a moment that it has a victory then take it down just like God took it down at Jericho by refusing to live in the wounds of the past. We draw the thing skulking in darkness out into the light and that take it down by standing in the knowledge of a new identity. We confess the reality of newness aloud. Our foot gets pressed on the neck of the past and we take what God has given us. The flesh has a stiff neck. We immobilize the will of the old man and exercise the rights and privileges given to who we are in the Spirit.
"For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things - things that belong to salvation." - Hebrews 6:7-9 ESV
"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete." - 2 Corinthians 10:5-6 ESV
We remember the battles so we can put them behind us. We don't have to let our past hold us hostage. This is a new day and we face a new city with old enemies in it. When the time is right we draw them out into the open, flank them with the finished work of Christ and blot out the memory of past pain.
Help us God. It is not by our might or power but by Your Spirit. We claim that the work of the cross is a victory that we can live in moment by moment and situation by situation. We trust you to give us victory. You are our strong tower. We run to You and take shelter in what You have accomplished.
--
Remember your enemy so you can blot out your enemy.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Remember what your flesh is like. Observe what the world is. Identity that the Devil is a lying accuser and always will be. Then blot out the memory of the past hurtful actions because God has given us a new identity. Cut it off like extra string on a newly sewn button. Jesus' work on the cross has tied it up tight so we can cut off any extra and be done with it.
"And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it. So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night.
And he commanded them, 'Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us just as before, we shall flee before them. And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, "They are fleeing from us, just as before." So we will flee before them. Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will give it into your hand. And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you.' " - Joshua 8:2-8 ESV
The memory baits the enemy and draws that thing out. The finished work of Christ flanks all three foes so that they are caught out in the open. The finished work now gives us back the life they used to possess as a stronghold.
Jericho fell because we circled it and surveyed it with the finished work in mind. Seven is the number of completion... 5, 6, 7... grace, man, 'It is finished!'... The trumpets blew and the Israelites shouted and the wall was pushed down into the ground by angels.
Each stronghold falls like Jericho fell. We do what we did to Jericho. We claim the finished work. Draw out the enemy. Let the flesh think for a moment that it has a victory then take it down just like God took it down at Jericho by refusing to live in the wounds of the past. We draw the thing skulking in darkness out into the light and that take it down by standing in the knowledge of a new identity. We confess the reality of newness aloud. Our foot gets pressed on the neck of the past and we take what God has given us. The flesh has a stiff neck. We immobilize the will of the old man and exercise the rights and privileges given to who we are in the Spirit.
"For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things - things that belong to salvation." - Hebrews 6:7-9 ESV
"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete." - 2 Corinthians 10:5-6 ESV
We remember the battles so we can put them behind us. We don't have to let our past hold us hostage. This is a new day and we face a new city with old enemies in it. When the time is right we draw them out into the open, flank them with the finished work of Christ and blot out the memory of past pain.
Help us God. It is not by our might or power but by Your Spirit. We claim that the work of the cross is a victory that we can live in moment by moment and situation by situation. We trust you to give us victory. You are our strong tower. We run to You and take shelter in what You have accomplished.
--
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Dead To Death
Have you ever died to something? There may have been things we tried to die to but couldn't shake the connection. Others that we wanted desperately to hold onto but found them slipping away until they were no longer in our grasp. Perhaps we woke up one day to find that a connection has been severed and we had no part in it at all.
"Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him." - Romans 6:8-9 ESV
As far as Jesus is concerned death is dead. His connections to death and all the fear and grief associated with it are severed.
"For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God." - Romans 6:10 ESV
He went to the cross 'as sin' because the sin sins of the world were placed on Him just like the sins of the nation were placed on a sacrificial animal.
"And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness." - Leviticus 16:21-22 ESV
Now those sins are gone and Christ is dead 'to sin' and every imperfection. He is alive and associated with living whole things not dead broken things.
You might say, 'Well, Then He can't have much to do with me.' but the crazy thing is that we were with Him when that death happened. We passed through death with Him! As a man He represented all humanity.
"So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness...
Or do you not know, brothers - for I am speaking to those who know the law - that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives?" - Romans 6:11-13, 7:1 ESV
When something dies and is truly disconnected the rules that governed that relationship or association also get disconnected. The law served it's purpose for Israel. Grace is how living people associate. Grace is how God functions toward someone who has been raised from the dead and passed from death into life.
We are all troubled by connections that are unhealthy. We can and must consider ourselves dead to those things and those things dead to us because in Christ that death has already taken place to make way for life.
"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world... And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." - Galatians 6:14, 16-17 ESV
Paul was beaten because of His association with Christ and the message of grace but we can make the same claim of co-crucifixion. We can and we should because then we can be free to live.
It is mathematics. The King James translates verse 11 this way.
"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:11 KJV
We make a 'reckoning' in our minds by faith that the connection is broken and God creates a dynamic that truly breaks the connection so that it can't dominate us.
Thank you God! Salvation is Your work. We believe in You and what You have done. We are free.
--
"Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him." - Romans 6:8-9 ESV
As far as Jesus is concerned death is dead. His connections to death and all the fear and grief associated with it are severed.
"For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God." - Romans 6:10 ESV
He went to the cross 'as sin' because the sin sins of the world were placed on Him just like the sins of the nation were placed on a sacrificial animal.
"And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness." - Leviticus 16:21-22 ESV
Now those sins are gone and Christ is dead 'to sin' and every imperfection. He is alive and associated with living whole things not dead broken things.
You might say, 'Well, Then He can't have much to do with me.' but the crazy thing is that we were with Him when that death happened. We passed through death with Him! As a man He represented all humanity.
"So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness...
Or do you not know, brothers - for I am speaking to those who know the law - that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives?" - Romans 6:11-13, 7:1 ESV
When something dies and is truly disconnected the rules that governed that relationship or association also get disconnected. The law served it's purpose for Israel. Grace is how living people associate. Grace is how God functions toward someone who has been raised from the dead and passed from death into life.
We are all troubled by connections that are unhealthy. We can and must consider ourselves dead to those things and those things dead to us because in Christ that death has already taken place to make way for life.
"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world... And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." - Galatians 6:14, 16-17 ESV
Paul was beaten because of His association with Christ and the message of grace but we can make the same claim of co-crucifixion. We can and we should because then we can be free to live.
It is mathematics. The King James translates verse 11 this way.
"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:11 KJV
We make a 'reckoning' in our minds by faith that the connection is broken and God creates a dynamic that truly breaks the connection so that it can't dominate us.
Thank you God! Salvation is Your work. We believe in You and what You have done. We are free.
--
Thursday, May 21, 2015
A Clean Victory
There are issues that we face and the only true offense we can take against them is to praise God. On one level this sounds crazy. Shouldn't we be like action heroes and grab what is on hand and face the enemy with all we have in us. So what if the odds are against us. That is what we have been taught but is there a better way?
"Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 'If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you - for your name is in this house - and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.' And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy - behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.'" - 2 Chronicles 20:7-12 ESV
In this case God had held them back from dealing with these people groups and there are things and people we can't deal with head on also. Something prevents us from doing it.
If you have a family you have faced these kinds of things haven't you? If you have had a job?
"And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.' And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, 'Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.' And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much." - 2 Chronicles 20:20-25 ESV
We worship and our enemies destroy each other. We are left with a treasure and no blood on our hands. Perhaps there is a mess to clean up but we have not been the ones to cause the mess.
"They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the LORD. And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel." - 2 Chronicles 20:28-29 ESV
"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." - Matthew 10:16 KJV
"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;" - Philippians 2:15 KJV
Instead of putting our weapons out on the table and loading them with ammunition to assess our strength we have the great privilege of taking out our musical instruments and tuning them for a day of worship.
There is a balance. Israel used the sword to take the land in the first place and there are times we must fight and we would be fools not to but that should be the exception and not the rule.
Worship may be the last thing we feel like doing in some situations but when our hands are tied it is the only way we can get a true clean victory.
--
"Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 'If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you - for your name is in this house - and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.' And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy - behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.'" - 2 Chronicles 20:7-12 ESV
In this case God had held them back from dealing with these people groups and there are things and people we can't deal with head on also. Something prevents us from doing it.
If you have a family you have faced these kinds of things haven't you? If you have had a job?
"And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.' And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, 'Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.' And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much." - 2 Chronicles 20:20-25 ESV
We worship and our enemies destroy each other. We are left with a treasure and no blood on our hands. Perhaps there is a mess to clean up but we have not been the ones to cause the mess.
"They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the LORD. And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel." - 2 Chronicles 20:28-29 ESV
"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." - Matthew 10:16 KJV
"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;" - Philippians 2:15 KJV
Instead of putting our weapons out on the table and loading them with ammunition to assess our strength we have the great privilege of taking out our musical instruments and tuning them for a day of worship.
There is a balance. Israel used the sword to take the land in the first place and there are times we must fight and we would be fools not to but that should be the exception and not the rule.
Worship may be the last thing we feel like doing in some situations but when our hands are tied it is the only way we can get a true clean victory.
--
Friday, May 15, 2015
Find The Victory
If you or I have a problem we can look up every scripture in the Bible related to that issue and it is amazing How God will speak to us.
"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory." - Proverbs 24:3-6 ESV
Perhaps that requires creativity and a few study tools. A concordance will find where certain specific words are used but we might have to look for synonyms and phrases that touch on the concept also. It takes digging and searching but mining the scripture is like delving into a diamond mine. We become surrounded by treasure as we look for answers.
I'd rather have the abundance of counselors that the scripture provides than any other resource in the world. The scripture often shows me multiple perspectives in the context of divine inspiration. Those perspectives connect with my soul on many different levels. My emotions are addressed. My will is challenged. The mind is nourished with rational thought. My sense of self is explained or redefined and my conscience is cleaned and rebalanced. All this without speaking the problem out loud to any other human being.
There is something very special about taking a deep troubling issue to God and searching the scripture for answers before you ever even say anything aloud to anyone. It is like playing a game of chess and the first words out of your mouth are, 'Checkmate'. I'd rather only speak words of victory about something if it is at all possible. The Bible makes that reality possible.
People are a legitimate resource also. Of course they are. There are things that must be taught or caught from someone else but even then I want the Bible to be my ultimate guide. What people say is never the final authority on a subject. What God says is.
If you would permit me to I'd like leave you with one small piece of advice to close this week of blog posts. Take that problem you have been struggling with and find everything the Bible says about it. Then once you think you have exhausted the subject look awhile longer. After that start to look at those verses in detail. Meditate on them. Memorize them. Pray about them asking for God to give them to you. Internalize them. Don't just do it lightly. Pay a price to do it. Lose some sleep. Do whatever it takes.
Before long that problem won't be such a problem anymore. Jesus won a victory when He was raised from the dead. He wants us to partake of that victory today and forever. That victory is in the scriptures. Find it and revel in it.
--
"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory." - Proverbs 24:3-6 ESV
Perhaps that requires creativity and a few study tools. A concordance will find where certain specific words are used but we might have to look for synonyms and phrases that touch on the concept also. It takes digging and searching but mining the scripture is like delving into a diamond mine. We become surrounded by treasure as we look for answers.
I'd rather have the abundance of counselors that the scripture provides than any other resource in the world. The scripture often shows me multiple perspectives in the context of divine inspiration. Those perspectives connect with my soul on many different levels. My emotions are addressed. My will is challenged. The mind is nourished with rational thought. My sense of self is explained or redefined and my conscience is cleaned and rebalanced. All this without speaking the problem out loud to any other human being.
There is something very special about taking a deep troubling issue to God and searching the scripture for answers before you ever even say anything aloud to anyone. It is like playing a game of chess and the first words out of your mouth are, 'Checkmate'. I'd rather only speak words of victory about something if it is at all possible. The Bible makes that reality possible.
People are a legitimate resource also. Of course they are. There are things that must be taught or caught from someone else but even then I want the Bible to be my ultimate guide. What people say is never the final authority on a subject. What God says is.
If you would permit me to I'd like leave you with one small piece of advice to close this week of blog posts. Take that problem you have been struggling with and find everything the Bible says about it. Then once you think you have exhausted the subject look awhile longer. After that start to look at those verses in detail. Meditate on them. Memorize them. Pray about them asking for God to give them to you. Internalize them. Don't just do it lightly. Pay a price to do it. Lose some sleep. Do whatever it takes.
Before long that problem won't be such a problem anymore. Jesus won a victory when He was raised from the dead. He wants us to partake of that victory today and forever. That victory is in the scriptures. Find it and revel in it.
--
Friday, April 24, 2015
Every Temptation
"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." - James 1:12-15 ESV
"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV
I was thinking about the 'many temptations' we face yesterday. Jesus, the sinless one, has faced them all also. That means temptations are not unique to people. The addict does not have a unique temptation nor does the perverted person or anyone else. They may be amplified... but not unique.
"For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life - is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." - 1 John 2:16-17 ESV
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." - Ephesians 6:10-13 ESV
This is very releasing for me.
Jesus conquered, past tense, all temptation. His first century temptations are not different than my present day ones. They may wear different costumes but they are the same.
At the throne of grace we experience a victory that has already been won over every variety of temptation. Grace and mercy are our answer. Yes... this morning also. They are the answer for the thing(s) you and I face today. We just need wisdom so that we can live in application of that remedy.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." - James 1:5 ESV
--
"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV
I was thinking about the 'many temptations' we face yesterday. Jesus, the sinless one, has faced them all also. That means temptations are not unique to people. The addict does not have a unique temptation nor does the perverted person or anyone else. They may be amplified... but not unique.
"For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life - is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." - 1 John 2:16-17 ESV
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." - Ephesians 6:10-13 ESV
This is very releasing for me.
Jesus conquered, past tense, all temptation. His first century temptations are not different than my present day ones. They may wear different costumes but they are the same.
At the throne of grace we experience a victory that has already been won over every variety of temptation. Grace and mercy are our answer. Yes... this morning also. They are the answer for the thing(s) you and I face today. We just need wisdom so that we can live in application of that remedy.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." - James 1:5 ESV
--
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Is It Too Late?
Is it too late?
King David had great losses and asked the same question.
"Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way... And David inquired of the LORD, 'Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?' He answered him, 'Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.' " - 1 Samuel 30:1-2, 8 ESV
It was not too late.
"David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all." - 1 Samuel 30:18-19 ESV
What about the people who could not go with him because of weariness.
"But David said, 'You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us... For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.' " - 1 Samuel 30:23 & 24b ESV
Then David spread the spoils and word of his victory.
"When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, 'Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.' It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed." - 1 Samuel 30:26-31 ESV
David's God given victory blessed people he had met in his travels. In his victory he sent gifts to people who knew him.
I ask you again... Is it too late?
Why don't you ask God and read 1 Samuel 30 a few times and find out.
Oh, and don't worry if not everyone has the strength to go with you... just bless them with your victory when you return.
King David had great losses and asked the same question.
"Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way... And David inquired of the LORD, 'Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?' He answered him, 'Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.' " - 1 Samuel 30:1-2, 8 ESV
It was not too late.
"David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all." - 1 Samuel 30:18-19 ESV
What about the people who could not go with him because of weariness.
"But David said, 'You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us... For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.' " - 1 Samuel 30:23 & 24b ESV
Then David spread the spoils and word of his victory.
"When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, 'Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.' It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed." - 1 Samuel 30:26-31 ESV
David's God given victory blessed people he had met in his travels. In his victory he sent gifts to people who knew him.
I ask you again... Is it too late?
Why don't you ask God and read 1 Samuel 30 a few times and find out.
Oh, and don't worry if not everyone has the strength to go with you... just bless them with your victory when you return.
--
Monday, January 6, 2014
Initiated By Choice But Moved By Power
"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." - Romans 6:4 KJV
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20 KJV
There is an action that happens by God's power... a transfer that occurs. By an act of will we enter into a process that was not initiated by us nor is it sustained by us. Like a person stepping into a flowing river we step into the stillness of Christ's death. It surrounds us and momentarily muffles our senses like diving into a pool or being lowered by strong arms into the water at baptism.
We willingly place ourselves into His death but that is just a starting point.
Early in the morning the Earth is still asleep. No sun has risen yet and few things are stirring. We can become silent like the world around us. We wait and pray like Jesus waited and prayed all night long with His Father. We enter in. It is a place we are welcome to come into. Grace has made this our place... our pool... our fountain... our death... our burial... our resurrection.
"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." - Romans 13:14 ESV
"But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." - Romans 8:10-14 ESV
Later it will not be quiet. The world will be moving. There will be more decisions to be made but the dynamic is the same. Jesus was the same Jesus praying all night as He was walking, talking, healing and teaching. He moved as grace and truth personified. We move a trophies of grace personified. Putting on Christ we make choices in the flow of the river we have stepped into. God's power and life is the medium we move in and because of that we are led of God having wind in our sails.
This is not a work. It is a choice made possible by the Gospel of Grace. This is the narrow road that leads to life.
Jesus was dragged willingly into this process knowing that when He went to Jerusalem it would begin. He suffered in stillness and submission not resisting but walked bearing His cross in His Father's plan. Taken by the flow of it and aligning His will with each twist and turn. Then after the resurrection we see a man raised from death into life who moved with purpose towards ascension and session (sitting at the right hand of the Father). Jesus completed this work and ran this race.
Our entry point is Christ's death but once we enter in we are brought instantly to to Christ's session. He is alive and reigning now and we also are alive and reigning with Him.
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:17 KJV
One day the spiritual action we enter into by an act of reckoning will become a physical reality.
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." - John 14:3 ESV
Until then we put on what we have been given by grace and the light of Heaven shines in and through our lives as broken but treasure filled earthen vessels.
At any moment we can return and enter in. We can quiet ourselves and be in the flow again. It is a choice away. The life that is produced inside will work on the outside in time. Faith will produce words that have power. Victorious life will make a difference in the world that only Heaven's history books will reveal in fullness.
--
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20 KJV
There is an action that happens by God's power... a transfer that occurs. By an act of will we enter into a process that was not initiated by us nor is it sustained by us. Like a person stepping into a flowing river we step into the stillness of Christ's death. It surrounds us and momentarily muffles our senses like diving into a pool or being lowered by strong arms into the water at baptism.
We willingly place ourselves into His death but that is just a starting point.
Early in the morning the Earth is still asleep. No sun has risen yet and few things are stirring. We can become silent like the world around us. We wait and pray like Jesus waited and prayed all night long with His Father. We enter in. It is a place we are welcome to come into. Grace has made this our place... our pool... our fountain... our death... our burial... our resurrection.
"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." - Romans 13:14 ESV
"But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." - Romans 8:10-14 ESV
Later it will not be quiet. The world will be moving. There will be more decisions to be made but the dynamic is the same. Jesus was the same Jesus praying all night as He was walking, talking, healing and teaching. He moved as grace and truth personified. We move a trophies of grace personified. Putting on Christ we make choices in the flow of the river we have stepped into. God's power and life is the medium we move in and because of that we are led of God having wind in our sails.
This is not a work. It is a choice made possible by the Gospel of Grace. This is the narrow road that leads to life.
Jesus was dragged willingly into this process knowing that when He went to Jerusalem it would begin. He suffered in stillness and submission not resisting but walked bearing His cross in His Father's plan. Taken by the flow of it and aligning His will with each twist and turn. Then after the resurrection we see a man raised from death into life who moved with purpose towards ascension and session (sitting at the right hand of the Father). Jesus completed this work and ran this race.
Our entry point is Christ's death but once we enter in we are brought instantly to to Christ's session. He is alive and reigning now and we also are alive and reigning with Him.
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:17 KJV
One day the spiritual action we enter into by an act of reckoning will become a physical reality.
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." - John 14:3 ESV
Until then we put on what we have been given by grace and the light of Heaven shines in and through our lives as broken but treasure filled earthen vessels.
At any moment we can return and enter in. We can quiet ourselves and be in the flow again. It is a choice away. The life that is produced inside will work on the outside in time. Faith will produce words that have power. Victorious life will make a difference in the world that only Heaven's history books will reveal in fullness.
--
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Skip To The End For Courage
Reading Revelation chapters 19, 20, 21 and 22 this morning and these last chapters of the scriptures are just so profound. Jesus takes a bride and then He goes to war.
"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords." - Revelation 19:11-16 ESV
The era of darkness is coming to a close... now it is victory after victory.
"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years." - Revelation 20:1-6 ESV
I don't know what you think when you read these passages but to me this is the weight of glory that makes life bearable.
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV
This isn't a pie in the sky with harps on a cloud vision of what is to come. This is storming the castle Christianity.
While on one hand I think I live in the best time to be alive it is also a time where we need courage. Courage to act but most of all courage to believe.
"And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
But as for the COWARDLY, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.' " - Revelation 21:5-8 ESV
What tops the list? The coward does. Interesting isn't it.
The one who lets emotion master the will turned back when self is in perceived peril. Not a cowardly act. Perhaps we have all been guilty of those. Adam has a cowardly nature. Christ straps a name to His thigh and goes to war. That is His nature. He is trustworthy and true. That is the nature believers have been given. They are born with a victorious nature.
Are you sick and tired? Read the end of the Book. It will give you courage.
Believe in the darkness. Believe in your weakness and in your strength. Believe today.
God, Today we look up and into the future so that we can really live in present. Help us... we know You will.
--
"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords." - Revelation 19:11-16 ESV
The era of darkness is coming to a close... now it is victory after victory.
"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years." - Revelation 20:1-6 ESV
I don't know what you think when you read these passages but to me this is the weight of glory that makes life bearable.
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV
This isn't a pie in the sky with harps on a cloud vision of what is to come. This is storming the castle Christianity.
While on one hand I think I live in the best time to be alive it is also a time where we need courage. Courage to act but most of all courage to believe.
"And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
But as for the COWARDLY, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.' " - Revelation 21:5-8 ESV
What tops the list? The coward does. Interesting isn't it.
The one who lets emotion master the will turned back when self is in perceived peril. Not a cowardly act. Perhaps we have all been guilty of those. Adam has a cowardly nature. Christ straps a name to His thigh and goes to war. That is His nature. He is trustworthy and true. That is the nature believers have been given. They are born with a victorious nature.
Are you sick and tired? Read the end of the Book. It will give you courage.
Believe in the darkness. Believe in your weakness and in your strength. Believe today.
God, Today we look up and into the future so that we can really live in present. Help us... we know You will.
--
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Spiraling Through Circumstances
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you" 1 Peter 5:6 ESV
Humility spirals us through circumstances. When we come under God's might by faith as an overcomer then God shows us Christ's eternal victory in time and space.
Receiving grace is the victory. We come under then God catapults us above the situation where our minds are fixed on the 'above things' that are Heavenly.
As the stones were hitting Steven God was spiraling him into the Heavens (see Acts 7:59f). Steven saw Jesus standing up and forgave those that were hurting him. Steven had great grace for what was happening.
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37 ESV
Am I small and light enough to come under and be spiraled upward? Perhaps eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil has made me high minded and heavy. All that judgement makes me a big, important but Earth bound man (or woman).
"But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." 1 Corinthians 15:46-50 ESV
If justice is not already satisfied then my mind is weighed down by that dilemma. Natural evaluation is going to anchor us in the dust. Jesus is the second man. When we are born of the Spirit and walk in the Spirit we live in the realm of Grace and Truth.
"Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven." - Psalms 85:10-11 KJV
The Cross is where all justice is satisfied. It has removed what was tethering us to the Earth. When justice is satisfied Grace can lighten our load. We are buoyant and not tied down by the dust. God's Love received puts us in a place where God can exalt us if He chooses to.
Humility spirals us through circumstances. When we come under God's might by faith as an overcomer then God shows us Christ's eternal victory in time and space.
Receiving grace is the victory. We come under then God catapults us above the situation where our minds are fixed on the 'above things' that are Heavenly.
As the stones were hitting Steven God was spiraling him into the Heavens (see Acts 7:59f). Steven saw Jesus standing up and forgave those that were hurting him. Steven had great grace for what was happening.
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37 ESV
Am I small and light enough to come under and be spiraled upward? Perhaps eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil has made me high minded and heavy. All that judgement makes me a big, important but Earth bound man (or woman).
"But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." 1 Corinthians 15:46-50 ESV
If justice is not already satisfied then my mind is weighed down by that dilemma. Natural evaluation is going to anchor us in the dust. Jesus is the second man. When we are born of the Spirit and walk in the Spirit we live in the realm of Grace and Truth.
"Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven." - Psalms 85:10-11 KJV
The Cross is where all justice is satisfied. It has removed what was tethering us to the Earth. When justice is satisfied Grace can lighten our load. We are buoyant and not tied down by the dust. God's Love received puts us in a place where God can exalt us if He chooses to.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Heroes and The Hero
Hebrews Chapter 11 speaks of heroes of the faith
"And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated - of whom the world was not worthy -wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." Hebrews 11:32-40 ESV
Then Hebrews chapter 12 speaks of 'The Hero' of the faith
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV
Jesus is the hero we look to. Our heart is renewed when we look to Him and His victory.
I sometimes look at the things that seem to hinder my walk of faith... money... health... time... and then think of this great cloud of witnesses whose lives are 'made perfect' by us. People who gave all before Messiah had come and others who gave all after He was raised.
I don't want to stand before God and give puny excuses while these great men and women stand watching. They gave all... Christ gave all... by grace I will give my all... not in effort but in believing and functioning like one who believes.
"And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated - of whom the world was not worthy -wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." Hebrews 11:32-40 ESV
Then Hebrews chapter 12 speaks of 'The Hero' of the faith
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV
Jesus is the hero we look to. Our heart is renewed when we look to Him and His victory.
I sometimes look at the things that seem to hinder my walk of faith... money... health... time... and then think of this great cloud of witnesses whose lives are 'made perfect' by us. People who gave all before Messiah had come and others who gave all after He was raised.
I don't want to stand before God and give puny excuses while these great men and women stand watching. They gave all... Christ gave all... by grace I will give my all... not in effort but in believing and functioning like one who believes.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Seeing the Pattern and Winning the Race
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV
He speaks of the single mindedness of competition and yet in the verses before he extols the flexibility and adaptability of communication and identification.
"To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:21-23 ESV
Have you ever heard an athlete extol the virtues of perceived weakness?? If anything athletes (and fans) talk more 'smack' than any people on the planet. They ooze confidence and even belittle one another in humor to display the advantage.
Only one wins the race... only one... that part always sticks with me. Who is that one in light of scripture? Who won the race? Who finished the work? Who competed and reigns as victor.
Are we running to be the winner or are we running as winners because we see something from the above sight that I talked about in the previous post? I must have a single-mindedness like an athlete does, that is clea,r but what am I seeing? What is my focus? What is my victory?
"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:4-5 ESV
Our victory is a finished work victory and our race is a finished work race. Only one wins... only one has won.
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 KJV
Do we see it? If we see it and ask God we can have fire that does not consume the our frail human nature. We are like the burning bush that Moses saw... it puts off no smoke and remains fresh and unchanged by the flames. The source of it's light is vision and not human fuel. It is seen so that God can be heard.
"And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, ... And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain." Exodus 25:34, 40 ESV
Somehow God showed Moses how he saw the tabernacle and then Moses had that above sight and God added people who had His Spirit resting on them... divinely skilled people to do the work.
We see the pattern of a risen Savior in Heaven. A man who moved from person to person winning souls in the Gospel of John and now dons the golden crown. With that pattern the appearance of weakness does not threaten our victory.
God please take the victory we are standing in and place it on our heads this morning. Help us to speak faith and not let our natural dictate to us our state of mind. You are our victory. Quicken us. Give us mental fortitude apart from striving. Give us confidence apart from boasting. Help us to present grace apart from any hint of work. Let us live in the victory that has been won.
He speaks of the single mindedness of competition and yet in the verses before he extols the flexibility and adaptability of communication and identification.
"To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:21-23 ESV
Have you ever heard an athlete extol the virtues of perceived weakness?? If anything athletes (and fans) talk more 'smack' than any people on the planet. They ooze confidence and even belittle one another in humor to display the advantage.
Only one wins the race... only one... that part always sticks with me. Who is that one in light of scripture? Who won the race? Who finished the work? Who competed and reigns as victor.
Are we running to be the winner or are we running as winners because we see something from the above sight that I talked about in the previous post? I must have a single-mindedness like an athlete does, that is clea,r but what am I seeing? What is my focus? What is my victory?
"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:4-5 ESV
Our victory is a finished work victory and our race is a finished work race. Only one wins... only one has won.
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 KJV
Do we see it? If we see it and ask God we can have fire that does not consume the our frail human nature. We are like the burning bush that Moses saw... it puts off no smoke and remains fresh and unchanged by the flames. The source of it's light is vision and not human fuel. It is seen so that God can be heard.
"And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, ... And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain." Exodus 25:34, 40 ESV
Somehow God showed Moses how he saw the tabernacle and then Moses had that above sight and God added people who had His Spirit resting on them... divinely skilled people to do the work.
We see the pattern of a risen Savior in Heaven. A man who moved from person to person winning souls in the Gospel of John and now dons the golden crown. With that pattern the appearance of weakness does not threaten our victory.
God please take the victory we are standing in and place it on our heads this morning. Help us to speak faith and not let our natural dictate to us our state of mind. You are our victory. Quicken us. Give us mental fortitude apart from striving. Give us confidence apart from boasting. Help us to present grace apart from any hint of work. Let us live in the victory that has been won.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
How to Weather the Storm
"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Revelation 2:10 KJV
This was written to The Church of Smyrna which was the time from 100 AD until 313 AD Edict of Milan. During this time Rome persecuted Christians heavily. As faith in Christ made it's way out among people it came in contact with the culture and there was a violent forceful reaction. Like dropping a mentos candy into a coke bottle there is a reaction. This reaction happens for a set period of time and then dies down.
This is the recommendation given by God to weather the storm. Become one who trusts until death and I will give you a crown, wreath a victor wears, of life. If you become one who trusts you will not just survive... you will thrive.
Christ wore a crown of thorns that was roughly placed upon His head and hurt Him deeply but we will one day see Him wear His crown of gold (Rev 14:14). He gently places a wreathe of victory on our heads when we manifest our believing at the time when culture clashes with faith.
'Be faithful' is in the middle voice. That means it is an action we perform on ourselves. We choose to mix faith with truth constantly.
In Rome to be faithful unto death perhaps meant to die in the Coliseum. That would have been a possible consequence of living a life of faith.
Today in this moment we can become faithful all the way unto the death of Christ on the cross. The cross was not a place of our suffering... it was the place of His suffering. It was the place of His death and it becomes the place where we die. That death was at the right place and time. We take the moment we live in and bring our faith to that place and God does something miraculous. He takes the victory that is already on our account because of Christ and places it gently on our head in the form of a crown.
No winner who wears a Stephanos crown will suffer in shame. Someone who wears that crown will hold their head high. They walk in the procession of the victors.
The elements that cause reaction in our lives will eventually fizzle out, like the edict of Milan ended Christian persecution in Rome, but the crown gently resting on each individuals head will remain forever.
Christ has made us to be overcomers. I purpose to live in that victory today.
This was written to The Church of Smyrna which was the time from 100 AD until 313 AD Edict of Milan. During this time Rome persecuted Christians heavily. As faith in Christ made it's way out among people it came in contact with the culture and there was a violent forceful reaction. Like dropping a mentos candy into a coke bottle there is a reaction. This reaction happens for a set period of time and then dies down.
This is the recommendation given by God to weather the storm. Become one who trusts until death and I will give you a crown, wreath a victor wears, of life. If you become one who trusts you will not just survive... you will thrive.
Christ wore a crown of thorns that was roughly placed upon His head and hurt Him deeply but we will one day see Him wear His crown of gold (Rev 14:14). He gently places a wreathe of victory on our heads when we manifest our believing at the time when culture clashes with faith.
'Be faithful' is in the middle voice. That means it is an action we perform on ourselves. We choose to mix faith with truth constantly.
In Rome to be faithful unto death perhaps meant to die in the Coliseum. That would have been a possible consequence of living a life of faith.
Today in this moment we can become faithful all the way unto the death of Christ on the cross. The cross was not a place of our suffering... it was the place of His suffering. It was the place of His death and it becomes the place where we die. That death was at the right place and time. We take the moment we live in and bring our faith to that place and God does something miraculous. He takes the victory that is already on our account because of Christ and places it gently on our head in the form of a crown.
No winner who wears a Stephanos crown will suffer in shame. Someone who wears that crown will hold their head high. They walk in the procession of the victors.
The elements that cause reaction in our lives will eventually fizzle out, like the edict of Milan ended Christian persecution in Rome, but the crown gently resting on each individuals head will remain forever.
Christ has made us to be overcomers. I purpose to live in that victory today.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
More Than Conquerors
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37 ESV
Negate any despairing thought! Our victory is not based on ourselves. The one with the keys to death and Hell loves us.
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 ESV
If this King conquered death... what can stand in His way? He already took the hit for our sins. He willingly stepped in-between us and certain judgement. It did not change Him. His heroic love is unchanging.
We don't look at Jesus and say, 'I can win because He won. What I great example He is. I will do what He did.' Negate that thought! It is as wrong as, 'Look at what a loser I am because of what I have done.'
We can say, 'I have won because of His victory!'
Believers are winners because they abide in the conquest of another.
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