Magnify the Lord
Chapter 6 (Part 8)
He's Come to Deliver
POSSESS THE PROMISES
If you have been born again, you have the nature to agree with God's promises. We are not called to fight for victory, but from victory. Jesus has already won the victory. Fight from His triumph over sin, death, and the grave, and you'll be a vessel God can use to be dangerously strong for His truth on the earth. Personally possess the truth as God reveals it to you. Trust Him with what He reveals and He'll free you to take hold of more truth. We overcome sin when we take ownership of God's truth and His promises of victory in Christ. He's come to deliver us from sin. Possess the truth (substance) surrounding a particular principle of truth and take ownership of it as your very own (evidence), even when it can't be physically seen. (Heb. 11:1) We'll never possess it until we hear it, believe it, and see it is ours. (Rom. 10:17)
C. He's Come to Deliver Us from Society
HEADED FOR DESTRUCTION
"Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father" (Galatians 1:4). We see again in this passage how our sinful nature and our practice of sin had us in bondage with the society in which we lived. Solomon says, "A threefold cord is not easily broken." (Ecc. 4:12) We were very much a part of this age of hostility. It has already been established in this study that we were rebels with a self-centered motives to exalt our rights above the decrees of God. We were in the flow of an eternally worthless system that would one day come to an abrupt end. This age we now live in and the society governed by its flow will be consumed with fervent heat. (2 Pet. 3 ; 2 Thes. 1:8-10) The outcome of this evil age is destruction.
NO LEGITIMATE APOLOGY
Christ came to rescue us from this society and the consequences of its dreadful influence. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, described in the book of Romans just how the fall of Adam and Eve affected all of humanity. In the first chapter, he explains how we were all without a legitimate apology. We knew what we were doing as a society, and we had no excuse for it. Apologizing for a rebellion that was deliberate and knowing you enjoyed what you were doing and had the very intent to do it again is inexcusable. The result of this behavior is God gave our society over to a way of thinking of which He does not approve. The consequence of God's wrath released man to do those things which are not fitting. (Rom. 1:18-32) Secular society overflows with attitudes of ungodliness and acts of unrighteousness, which is proof of God's wrath upon humanity. When anyone is habitually compelled by anything other than the love of Christ and controlled by the excessive desires of their flesh, they are under the wrath of God. They are still in bondage and trapped in an age that is corrupt and bent on sin. Why? They have never been delivered and rescued by Jesus.
MUST BE INTERRUPTED
He came to interrupt the flow of our rebellious lifestyle and put us on a course that honors His righteousness. Jesus told His disciples they were not of this society any longer and the proof of this would be the society's hatred of them. Jesus rescues those whom He delivers from the course of our society and its condemnation. Amen! His grace will continually teach the saints He has delivered to deny this world and what it values while living for God's glory now. (Titus 2:11-14) Jesus has come to tear us away from the darkness of this world so we might be a light to it. This deliverance is always by force. We were rescued, my friend, from the hand of the enemy and all who hate us. The cross of Christ was a covert invasion of God upon this world. He forcefully defeated the enemy upon the cross and made it possible for us to be rescued from the grip this system had upon His people. We were not looking for the Lord when He interrupted our life. We enjoyed our sin and the lies of sinful people. We were bound together with them in this war. But Jesus broke through our rebellion and rescued us from the grip of sin and this society. Jesus interrupted our agendas and intruded upon our dark hearts when He invaded our lives with His grace. We are rescued sinners who have been freed from this society's influence and instruction. (Col. 1:13)
No comments:
Post a Comment