2002-01-01
Good Morning Dearest Fellow Believers,
If you have read the last few messages about our position in Christ, then the Holy Spirit has given you a kind of comfort available from no other source. We can and should endure in our faith, because even in our most awful moments of pain, suffering, and loss, our loving Abba hasn’t and won’t abandon us. He has given us citation after citation in His word to show us that He treasures each of us and that He has righteous reasons for everything that we see happening to us and around us. In other words, we are foolish not to put our total trust in Him and not to obey His commandments. There are some citations that I am now led to discuss which give us the assurance that while the devil is still on the scene doing his dirty work, he and his followers who reject God will eventually be destroyed.
There is a very precious passage in JN 12 that gives us great assurance. JN 12: 27-32, [Christ speaking] “’Now My heart is troubled-and what shall I say? Shall I say, ‘Father, do not let this hour come upon Me’? But that is why I came-so that I might go through this hour of suffering. Father, bring glory to Your name!’ Then a voice spoke from heaven, ‘I have brought glory to it, and I will do so again.’ The crowd standing there heard the voice, and some of them said it was thunder, while others said, ‘An angel spoke to Him!’ But Jesus said to them, ‘I was not for My sake that this voice spoke, but for yours.’ Now is the time for this world to be judged: now the ruler of this world will be overthrown.’” Christ was talking about the kind of death He would suffer, but He was also talking about much more. From the time of the original sin [GN 3: 6], Satan had wrested dominion over the earth from God. God knew that would happen, because He is omniscient [all-knowing] and had a plan for the earth from before it was created [COL 1: 19-20; 1 PET 1: 20-21]. Of course, God knew that an important part of His plan would be the redemption of His children and the eventual destruction of evil and its source, Satan.
Christ set an example for us of obeying God, even when it was under the most adverse of conditions involving excruciating pain. JN 14: 30-31 reveals this to us. “I cannot talk with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over Me, but the world must know that I love the Father; that is why I do everything as He commands Me…” Christ never did anything without the Father’s authority, and He never lied. That’s why we can believe Him when He said He does everything the Father commands Him to do. If this were any different, we would be cast adrift, totally vulnerable to the evil that Satan does. We would have no Anchor upon Whom we can depend to always be righteous, loving, compassionate, and faithful. Our spiritual rug would be pulled from under us. Praise God, that such will never be the case!
Christ spoke to us about His reason for answering God’s call to go back to the Father’s side in heaven and about the work of the Holy Spirit Who would be sent in JN 16: 4b-11. “I did not tell you these things at the beginning, for I was with you. But now I am going to Him Who sent Me, yet none of you asks Me where I am going. And now that I have told you, your hearts are full of sadness. But I am telling you the truth; it is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I do go away, then I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will prove to the people of the world that they are wrong about sin and about what is right and about God’s judgment. They are wrong about sin, because they do not believe in Me; they are wrong about what is right, because I am going to the Father and you will not see Me any more; and they are wrong about judgement, because the ruler of this world has already been judged.” If we stop and think about it, Satan has already been judged! His fate is already sealed. He knows it. How do I know that? Just look at REV 12: 12, “And so be glad, you heavens, and all you that live there! But how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left." This is not news, as Daniel saw it in his vision of the seventy weeks in DN 9: 27b, “The Abomination of Desolation [a hog sacrificed on the highest altar in the temple of Jerusalem-a horrific insult to Jews] will be placed on the highest point of the temple and will remain there until the one who put it there meets the end which God has prepared for him.”
It never ceases to amaze me that these assurances have been available to mankind right from the very beginning of their history. We are given the first assurance in GN 3: 15 when we were told that the serpent will bite mankind’s heel but will have its head crushed. God expresses His desire repeatedly that we are to have His laws written on our hearts, that we are His people, and He is our One and Only God. With all of this, so many people still don’t read and believe God’s word, and thus, never know the assurance contained in it. What a trial to God mankind is! And yet, His love for us is so great that He has never given up on us. Now, that’s nothing short of remarkable!
PRAYER: O Lord, Your patience with our foibles and insufficient faithfulness is a blessing. We acknowledge the fact that it has limits. In RO 3: 25-26, You made it known to us why there had to be those limits. “God offered Him [Christ], so that by His death He should become the means by which people’s sins are forgiven through their faith in Him. God did this in order to demonstrate that He is righteous. In the past He was patient and overlooked people’s sins; but in the present time He deals with their sins, in order to demonstrate His righteousness. In this way God shows that He Himself is righteous and that He puts right everyone who believes in Jesus.” You have been open with mankind from the very beginning of their history, that evil would not be allowed to rule forever. From the time You have us the Law, You enabled mankind to know what is right and what is not with You [RO 7: 7]. Every person was created with a God-consciousness and the ability to perceive Your creation, so we have no excuse for rejecting You [RO 1: 18-25]. You have shown us though RO 1: 26-32 how evil, which gets planted in one’s mind by Satan, translates to evil actions. In Your magnificent compassion for us, You gave Your only begotten Son on the cross, so that we could repent and come to faith in Him-the only way to salvation [JN 3: 16; JN 14: 6; RO 3: 24-25]. Today, we stand before You to confess our sins, to repent of them, to express our faith in Christ, and to dedicate ourselves to daily study of Your word and prayer. This establishes a continual link with You that allows us to take advantage of the guidance, correction, and encouragement You so eagerly give us. We also acknowledge You as the Supreme and Sovereign Lord of our lives, the only God we will ever worship and adore. Our pledge is to trust and obey You, to remain loyal and diligent to Your teaching, to honor and glorify You, to magnify Your name, and to offer You heartfelt praise and thanksgiving. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
Tomorrow, I am led to discuss the two alternative lifestyles from which we choose and their consequences. A Lord Who loves His children gives them “combat intelligence” about their enemies, warns them about the choices available and their consequences, and elaborates with gusto on the advantages of making the right choice. That’s exactly what our Abba does throughout the Scriptures, through prayer, through our congregations, and through the circumstances of our lives. When we truly come to faith, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit Who enables us to see all the interaction that God has in our lives. That’s the gift we are given, but we must have enough love to take the time to see Who God is and what He does in our lives. Then, we must act on that. When we do, God is pleased and gives us the “peace that goes beyond human understanding” [PHIL 4: 7]. Our loving Abba also strengthens us through Christ to face whatever trials come our way from the adversary. What a great love is this! Peter and I send our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn