2003-02-19
Good Morning Cherished Readers,
I’m led to continue writing about ways to use God’s word to break the grip Satan has over people. Yesterday, we saw that the first one was: 1) having confidence in the power of Christ’s atoning blood. The next one on this list is: 2) having faith in Christ’s supremacy and sufficiency. The concept of One being fully God and fully man boggles the human imagination. And yet, Jesus Christ is all of this. No discussion of Who Christ is can leave out JN 1: 1-4, “Before the world was created, the Word already existed; He was with God, and He was the same as God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. Through Him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without Him. The Word was the Source of life, and this life brought light to mankind.” The magnitude and importance of these words takes my breath away! Theologians define Christ as the second personality of God, that part of God which is “the visible likeness of the invisible God” [COL 1: 15]. His very nature is further revealed in JN 14: 6, 9, & 11, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me…Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father…Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.” To a potential believer who has not yet come to faith, these words may be hard to grasp. That is why we are told to introduce Christ more by what He does than Who He is to the beginner. But, there should soon be a time when a new believer begins to delve into just Who Jesus Christ is in our lives. Remember that faith is defined in HE 11: 1, “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.”
When we refer to God as Creator, we need to understand that God breathed life into each individual person just as Ezekiel, in the section on the valley of the dry bones, describes Him in EZK 37: 4-5 establishing Israel’s nationhood after the Captivity in his prophecy. “…Tell these dry bones to listen to the word of the Lord. Tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: I am going to put breath into you and bring you back to life. I will give you sinews and muscles and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you and bring you back to life. Then you will know that I am Lord.” No ordinary human being could ever do that! When we put this graphic description together with what we learn in JN 1: 1-4, the pattern begins to emerge of just how God created mankind, all living things, and the entire universe. He did it through His second personality, Jesus Christ. God made the decision, and Christ carried it out.
God, as we all know, has a plan, and Christ’s part in it is crucial. From the moment, Satan wrested dominion over earth into his own hands by deception in the Garden of Eden [GN 3: 1-6], it becomes clear why the Father made the decision in the pre-Creation council in heaven [JN 17:5; AC 2: 23-24 & 4: 27;1 COR 2: 7; COL 1: 15-20; 1 PET 1: 20-21] to send Christ to become incarnate, to teach, and then, to suffer and die on the cross. God knew that our repentance and faith in Him was the only way out from slavery to sin, the only way we could be wholly pardoned and given eternal life, rather than suffer the condemnation of the lake of fire and sulfur forever. Christ’s words during His public ministry were not the words of an ordinary man; they were completely the truth. The world scorned Him and put Him to death on the cross. But the value of this mighty, unselfish, obedient, and compassionate act is only seen by those who have faith. Peter spoke valiantly before the Council in Jerusalem in AC 4: 11-12, “Jesus is the One of Whom the Scripture [PS 118: 22] says, ‘The Stone that you the builder despised turned out to be the most important of all.’ Salvation is to be found through Him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us.”
Today’s message is filled with examples of Scripture which we can learn by heart and use to help explain both to ourselves and to others exactly Who Jesus Christ is in our lives. Our faith in that, faith which comes from God through the Holy Spirit, is given to us because we take the time to allow God to reveal Himself to us. Whether we are witnessing to our faith with a potential believer, helping to build the already established faith of others, or are trying to struggle with the question of Who Christ is in our own lives, it is clear that God’s word is a great help to us in dealing with this question. I guess what I’m saying is that no one can tell it as well as God Himself. Day after day, I write these messages, admittedly, for two reasons. I would have to be some kind of hypocrite if I repeated my hope that each of us will spend daily time with the Scriptures and in prayer if I wasn’t also doing it myself. So, I do this for those reading these messages, and I do it for myself too. The blessing that has come to me has been to strengthen my own faith, giving it texture, context, and application in my own life. It is my sincerest hope that the same is happening for us all.
PRAYER: O Lord, You have helped us to understand Christ’s supremacy and sufficiency by what is revealed in Your word. HE 4: 15, allows us to know that You sent Him to His incarnation, to feel the pain, suffering, and loss, we feel, so that He could be our Advocate and Intercessor in heaven [HE 8: 1-2]. He understands the evil we must battle at Satan’s hands. It is He Who opened the heavenly Holy of Holies to us [HE 9:12]. His death on the cross is a once and sufficient sin sacrifice for our salvation. His obedience is unparalleled [HE 10: 10]. His place is higher than the angels, and He is given sole authority to judge [DN 7: 13-14; HE 1: 6-7;]. His Kingdom will last forever and replace all human ones [DN 2: 34-35; HE 1: 8]. Christ’s humility and wisdom is an example for all mankind to follow. He is Your first-born Son, Whom You raised from death to life. He is also the first among many brothers to be resurrected [RO 8: 29]. Faith in Him, trust, and obedience brings us “the peace that goes beyond human understanding” [PHIL 4: 7]. “We can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us,” PHIL 4: 13. It is Christ Who gave us the new commandment, in JN 13: 34-35, that we should love one another, as He loves us. His love is unconditional, just as Yours is. It is wholly just and fair. Dearest Abba, we are honored to be His disciples. We pray the words of PS 86: 2, “Protect me and save me because You are my God. I am Your faithful servant, and I trust You.” We never forget the great sacrifice You made in sending Your Son to the cross, so that we could find eternal life, peace, and fellowship with Him and with You. Your angel’s words to John in REV 5: 5 truly show us that Christ, the Lion of Judah, has earned the ability to wrest back dominion over the earth from Satan and place it in Your hands, where it has always belonged. His death on the cross sealed the new covenant and insured Satan’s final defeat. We, Your friends and servants, are eternally grateful for all of this. We believe the words of PS 84: 11, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly”-not even His Son! In humility, we confess our sins and offer You eternal adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, trust, obedience, glory, honor, thanks and praise. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, I led to carry on writing about ways to use God’s word to break Satan’s grip on us. How very blessed every true believer is! 1 COR 3: 11, “For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the One and Only Foundation, and no other foundation can be laid.” The metaphor for our lives that follows this, in 1 COR 3: 14-15, shows one reason why (among many). “If what is built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. But if anyone’s work is burnt up, then he will lose it; but he himself will be saved, as if he had escaped through the fire.” Hearing these words makes me want to build on our One and Only Sure Foundation. They tell us that all believers are saved, but it is even better to live an obedient, trusting, and godly life, one in which God’s agenda is our first priority. Such blessings as these can only come from a Source [our Abba] Who loves us more than we can imagine. Peter and I send each of you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn