Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A Ransom Paid...
“We should live like that while we wait for our great hope and the coming of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us so he might pay the price to free us from all evil and to make us pure people who belong only to him—people who are always wanting to do good deeds…”
-Titus 2 v 13-14
Those of you who are reading are alive…at least I hope you’re alive, otherwise I’m gonna be totally freaked out that zombies are even bothered to read my blog…Sorry, thought I’d open with a slight joke, and from the deafening silence I’m hearing, you all think I’m not funny… We’ll see…
But yes, we are all alive. We all go about our daily lives. I don’t know about you, but I think that everyone follows a routine. People who are spontaneous like to think they’re just that, spontaneous…but they to follow a routine. Do you wake up every morning? Yep. And do you go to sleep every evening? Yes sir. Then there you go, that’s a routine of sorts. You get up and go to sleep just like a lot of people.
We all have routines, whether we like to think it or not. And even more basic is the routine which cripples each and every one of us…
Sin…
Now is the time when I ask quite a large question…
What is Sin?
Webster’s dictionary defines sin as “an offense against religious or moral law.” And yes, this is a very good description of sin. But the Bible gives a clearer, and maybe even simpler definition;
“Everyone has sinned and fallen short of God's glorious standard…”
-Romans 3 v 23
To explain that, it is what separates us from God. Anything that we do in which we turn our backs on Him is a sin. I know this is only a brief look at what sin is, but there’s more to come.
Sin is a routine for us. We are naturally born into sin, and so it is our very nature to sin, seen as we inherited this curse from our first father Adam. However, unlike most routines, it is extremely hard to break away from the routine of sin. And Jesus sums up the next point quite nicely here;
“I tell you the truth, everyone who lives in sin is a slave to sin…”
-John 8 v 34
It’s a hard thing to swallow, but in essence, we are all slaves to sin. There are people who say, and I think a lot of us would agree at first, that we are free human beings, free to do whatever we want. However, if we are truly free, surely we than have the freedom to reject sin… Unfortunately, we are not free from sin.
In “Death By Love” Driscoll uses the Exodus story to describe the state we are in, and points out that our hearts can be harden, just as Pharaohs’ was. And we all know what happened to him, don’t we…?
Paul sums up how sin affects us in our daily lives and further agrees with us being a slave to sin;
“I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate… But I see another law working in my body, which makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other law working in my body is the law of sin, and it makes me its prisoner… So in my mind I am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful self I am a slave to the law of sin…”
-Romans 7 v 15, 23, 24
What Paul says here is what differentiates what is said in the book. In “Death By Love” Driscoll is writing to someone who does not hate his sin. What Paul is saying here is, despite the fact that he does sin, he hates what he does, and wishes to do what is right.
Much like “A Demon Conquered,” this post shares a very common theme, in that through Jesus’ death on the cross, we are redeemed. That is the second outcome of His death.
To be redeemed is to have a ransom paid for. As it says in Romans;
“The payment for sin is death. But God gives us the free gift of life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord…”
-Romans 6 v 23
Jesus paid our debt. I think out of all the outcomes of the Cross, this is probably the one that people most align with, that the fact that Jesus took the blame for something that I didn’t do. By doing this, He showed His perfect, unconditional love for us, going to the greatest length to rescue us from sin, so that we would no longer need to bow down to sin, nor take heed of any of its commands;
“We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin. Anyone who has died is made free from sin's control…”
-Romans 6 v 6-7
It’s sometimes hard to imagine the scale of what happened on the Cross. I mean, even in terms of redemption, there is so much that we could never grasp. I think what baffles me most of all is that Jesus took, not just my sin, but the whole world’s sin, and then going beyond that, He took all sin and placed it on himself, all sin throughout time and space… Come to think of it, the thing that baffles me most is the fact that Jesus would want to take any of our sin in the first place. That is the extent of His love, it’s a love which transcends understanding, and that is something amazing.
Conviction, Confession, Repentance, Restitution, Reconciliation… This is what Driscoll says is needed to be done in order to be forgiven, to be redeemed. But to put it another way...
Let Him be the Nexus in Your Life.
Everything after that will be done through your relationship with God. Truly, a ransom has been paid…
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed…”
-Isaiah 53 v 5
Idea taken from "Death By Love; Letters From The Cross" by Mark Driscoll. Bible Translation NCV
-Titus 2 v 13-14
Those of you who are reading are alive…at least I hope you’re alive, otherwise I’m gonna be totally freaked out that zombies are even bothered to read my blog…Sorry, thought I’d open with a slight joke, and from the deafening silence I’m hearing, you all think I’m not funny… We’ll see…
But yes, we are all alive. We all go about our daily lives. I don’t know about you, but I think that everyone follows a routine. People who are spontaneous like to think they’re just that, spontaneous…but they to follow a routine. Do you wake up every morning? Yep. And do you go to sleep every evening? Yes sir. Then there you go, that’s a routine of sorts. You get up and go to sleep just like a lot of people.
We all have routines, whether we like to think it or not. And even more basic is the routine which cripples each and every one of us…
Sin…
Now is the time when I ask quite a large question…
What is Sin?
Webster’s dictionary defines sin as “an offense against religious or moral law.” And yes, this is a very good description of sin. But the Bible gives a clearer, and maybe even simpler definition;
“Everyone has sinned and fallen short of God's glorious standard…”
-Romans 3 v 23
To explain that, it is what separates us from God. Anything that we do in which we turn our backs on Him is a sin. I know this is only a brief look at what sin is, but there’s more to come.
Sin is a routine for us. We are naturally born into sin, and so it is our very nature to sin, seen as we inherited this curse from our first father Adam. However, unlike most routines, it is extremely hard to break away from the routine of sin. And Jesus sums up the next point quite nicely here;
“I tell you the truth, everyone who lives in sin is a slave to sin…”
-John 8 v 34
It’s a hard thing to swallow, but in essence, we are all slaves to sin. There are people who say, and I think a lot of us would agree at first, that we are free human beings, free to do whatever we want. However, if we are truly free, surely we than have the freedom to reject sin… Unfortunately, we are not free from sin.
In “Death By Love” Driscoll uses the Exodus story to describe the state we are in, and points out that our hearts can be harden, just as Pharaohs’ was. And we all know what happened to him, don’t we…?
Paul sums up how sin affects us in our daily lives and further agrees with us being a slave to sin;
“I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate… But I see another law working in my body, which makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other law working in my body is the law of sin, and it makes me its prisoner… So in my mind I am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful self I am a slave to the law of sin…”
-Romans 7 v 15, 23, 24
What Paul says here is what differentiates what is said in the book. In “Death By Love” Driscoll is writing to someone who does not hate his sin. What Paul is saying here is, despite the fact that he does sin, he hates what he does, and wishes to do what is right.
Much like “A Demon Conquered,” this post shares a very common theme, in that through Jesus’ death on the cross, we are redeemed. That is the second outcome of His death.
To be redeemed is to have a ransom paid for. As it says in Romans;
“The payment for sin is death. But God gives us the free gift of life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord…”
-Romans 6 v 23
Jesus paid our debt. I think out of all the outcomes of the Cross, this is probably the one that people most align with, that the fact that Jesus took the blame for something that I didn’t do. By doing this, He showed His perfect, unconditional love for us, going to the greatest length to rescue us from sin, so that we would no longer need to bow down to sin, nor take heed of any of its commands;
“We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin. Anyone who has died is made free from sin's control…”
-Romans 6 v 6-7
It’s sometimes hard to imagine the scale of what happened on the Cross. I mean, even in terms of redemption, there is so much that we could never grasp. I think what baffles me most of all is that Jesus took, not just my sin, but the whole world’s sin, and then going beyond that, He took all sin and placed it on himself, all sin throughout time and space… Come to think of it, the thing that baffles me most is the fact that Jesus would want to take any of our sin in the first place. That is the extent of His love, it’s a love which transcends understanding, and that is something amazing.
Conviction, Confession, Repentance, Restitution, Reconciliation… This is what Driscoll says is needed to be done in order to be forgiven, to be redeemed. But to put it another way...
Let Him be the Nexus in Your Life.
Everything after that will be done through your relationship with God. Truly, a ransom has been paid…
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed…”
-Isaiah 53 v 5
Idea taken from "Death By Love; Letters From The Cross" by Mark Driscoll. Bible Translation NCV
Monday, April 6, 2009
Further Postponement
Sorry guys,
I just found out that I'm going to be out for a big portion of the day at the dentists. Have to get a tooth filled, so I probably won't feel up to writing anything after I get back...
Post will definitely be up tomorrow.
Ciao!
I just found out that I'm going to be out for a big portion of the day at the dentists. Have to get a tooth filled, so I probably won't feel up to writing anything after I get back...
Post will definitely be up tomorrow.
Ciao!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
A Demon Conquered…
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross…”
-Colossians 2 v 13-15
For those of you who have read my blogs before, you’ll know that I tend to ask some of the biggest questions in the spiritual realm, and try to answer them within a single post. However, the question that I am asking now is so big that it would be impossible to answer it within one post…
“Who is Jesus, and what has he accomplished?”
Over the next 12 weeks or so, I plan on answering that very question. And today we’re going to begin by looking at a defeat…
Who really is to blame for all the evil in the world? Ambiguous question I know, but realistically there are two answers. The first is ourselves, human beings, and the selfishness and lust for control over our own lives. And all of this can be traced back to the very beginning of existence, right back to the Garden of Eden. But while I am not saying to negate ourselves as a cause of evil, there was one who gave us the temptation in the first place…
Satan…The Dragon…The Serpent…The Enemy…The Devil…The Tempter…The Murderer…The Father of Lies…The Adversary…The Accuser…The Destroyer…The Evil One…
All names that Satan has been called throughout the Bible. He seeks nothing but power over our lives, and our destruction. That is his reason for being, nothing more. When he rebelled against our Father, he turned his back on everything right in the world, and at the same time, turned his towards his own bloody judgement at our God’s hands.
But as in his nature, he knew that God loves us, and so wishes to break this bond between us and God, and so appointed two generals to take care of this; Death and Sin. And both have been working 24/7 in our lives, since Eve tasted the forbidden fruit.
At the sight of his beloved children turning away from their loving Father, God’s heart was broken. For thousands of years, God required the sacrifice of a lamb in order for us to atone for our sins against Him.
To all who saw, it seemed as if Satan had won.
Even seeing God’s rescue plan through Jesus, Satan scoffed at this, knowing that he would kill God’s last ditch attempt of rescuing His people, and that is exactly what happened…
The Cross…
What Satan thought would be his final victory…
Would turn out to be his greatest mistake…
“Seeing Jesus alive, the Great Dragon snatched you as his captive, drew his sword of the law, covered with the blood of your sin, and thrust its razor-sharp point at your head, naming every sin you have committed along with the name of every boy who ever touched you. Smiling, Jesus stepped forward and declared that he already paid the penalty for your sins on the cross, cancelled any right Satan had to hold you captive, and defeated your Enemy along with his servants and their works and effects in your life.”
We are finally known.
We are finally loved.
We are finally safe.
We are finally free.
Jesus, through his death, had broken the helm of Hell, and destroyed Satan’s chains holding us. Through his unparalleled love, he crushed the head of the Dragon underneath his feet, as he freed us from our chains… This is the first act of the cross, the death of Satan…
But there is more than that. Even though Jesus has won, Satan continues to work in this world. I think from previous blogs that we’ve explored this concept a number of times. I can personally speak of this scenario, that while we have victory in Christ, Satan continues to pull us away from God, drawing our love and mind to the things of this world…
His agents are still at work in this world. And while I’m not saying that every single sin is caused by the infestation of a demon, it does bear some thinking. The definition of a demon, or one of the definitions, is “an evil passion or influence.” And while this does hold truth, does it contain another layer? After all, sin is, at its root, an evil passion.
But we, who are in Christ, no longer need to fear the work of Satan, nor that of his agents;
“Then Jesus came up and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…” – Matthew 28 v 18…
We who are by grace citizens of Jesus’ kingdom will never again have to obey the Dragon’s orders, satisfy his desires, or live as his captives. We are free. Finally, we can live as Colossians 1 v 10-14 says and;
“…live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins…” – Colossians 1 v 10-14
So how do we combat Satan in this spiritual war? Pray offensively, meet regularly with friends and talk about things going on in your lives, don’t be afraid of Satan and his lies to a degree where that fear is what is controlling your life…and finally;
Let Him be the Nexus in your Life…
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you…” – Romans 16 v 20
Excerpts taken from "Death By Love" by Mark Driscoll...
-Colossians 2 v 13-15
For those of you who have read my blogs before, you’ll know that I tend to ask some of the biggest questions in the spiritual realm, and try to answer them within a single post. However, the question that I am asking now is so big that it would be impossible to answer it within one post…
“Who is Jesus, and what has he accomplished?”
Over the next 12 weeks or so, I plan on answering that very question. And today we’re going to begin by looking at a defeat…
Who really is to blame for all the evil in the world? Ambiguous question I know, but realistically there are two answers. The first is ourselves, human beings, and the selfishness and lust for control over our own lives. And all of this can be traced back to the very beginning of existence, right back to the Garden of Eden. But while I am not saying to negate ourselves as a cause of evil, there was one who gave us the temptation in the first place…
Satan…The Dragon…The Serpent…The Enemy…The Devil…The Tempter…The Murderer…The Father of Lies…The Adversary…The Accuser…The Destroyer…The Evil One…
All names that Satan has been called throughout the Bible. He seeks nothing but power over our lives, and our destruction. That is his reason for being, nothing more. When he rebelled against our Father, he turned his back on everything right in the world, and at the same time, turned his towards his own bloody judgement at our God’s hands.
But as in his nature, he knew that God loves us, and so wishes to break this bond between us and God, and so appointed two generals to take care of this; Death and Sin. And both have been working 24/7 in our lives, since Eve tasted the forbidden fruit.
At the sight of his beloved children turning away from their loving Father, God’s heart was broken. For thousands of years, God required the sacrifice of a lamb in order for us to atone for our sins against Him.
To all who saw, it seemed as if Satan had won.
Even seeing God’s rescue plan through Jesus, Satan scoffed at this, knowing that he would kill God’s last ditch attempt of rescuing His people, and that is exactly what happened…
The Cross…
What Satan thought would be his final victory…
Would turn out to be his greatest mistake…
“Seeing Jesus alive, the Great Dragon snatched you as his captive, drew his sword of the law, covered with the blood of your sin, and thrust its razor-sharp point at your head, naming every sin you have committed along with the name of every boy who ever touched you. Smiling, Jesus stepped forward and declared that he already paid the penalty for your sins on the cross, cancelled any right Satan had to hold you captive, and defeated your Enemy along with his servants and their works and effects in your life.”
We are finally known.
We are finally loved.
We are finally safe.
We are finally free.
Jesus, through his death, had broken the helm of Hell, and destroyed Satan’s chains holding us. Through his unparalleled love, he crushed the head of the Dragon underneath his feet, as he freed us from our chains… This is the first act of the cross, the death of Satan…
But there is more than that. Even though Jesus has won, Satan continues to work in this world. I think from previous blogs that we’ve explored this concept a number of times. I can personally speak of this scenario, that while we have victory in Christ, Satan continues to pull us away from God, drawing our love and mind to the things of this world…
His agents are still at work in this world. And while I’m not saying that every single sin is caused by the infestation of a demon, it does bear some thinking. The definition of a demon, or one of the definitions, is “an evil passion or influence.” And while this does hold truth, does it contain another layer? After all, sin is, at its root, an evil passion.
But we, who are in Christ, no longer need to fear the work of Satan, nor that of his agents;
“Then Jesus came up and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…” – Matthew 28 v 18…
We who are by grace citizens of Jesus’ kingdom will never again have to obey the Dragon’s orders, satisfy his desires, or live as his captives. We are free. Finally, we can live as Colossians 1 v 10-14 says and;
“…live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins…” – Colossians 1 v 10-14
So how do we combat Satan in this spiritual war? Pray offensively, meet regularly with friends and talk about things going on in your lives, don’t be afraid of Satan and his lies to a degree where that fear is what is controlling your life…and finally;
Let Him be the Nexus in your Life…
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you…” – Romans 16 v 20
Excerpts taken from "Death By Love" by Mark Driscoll...
A Last Word Or Seven...
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” - Luke 23 v 24. Those who crucified Jesus were not aware of the full scope of what they were doing because they did not recognize Him as the Messiah. While their ignorance of divine truth did not mean they deserved forgiveness, Christ’s prayer in the midst of their mocking Him is an expression of the limitless compassion of divine grace..." Word of Forgiveness...
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" - Luke 23 v 43. In this passage, Jesus is assuring one of the criminals on the cross that when he died, he would be with Jesus in heaven. This was granted because even at the hour of his death, the criminal had expressed his faith in Jesus, recognizing Him for who He was... (Luke 23 v 42)" Word of Salvation...
“Dear Woman, here is your son!” and “Here is your mother!” When Jesus saw His mother standing near the cross with the Apostle John, whom He loved, He committed His mother’s care into John’s hands. And from that hour John took her unto his own home. (John 19 v 26-27) In this verse Jesus, ever the compassionate Son, is making sure His earthly mother is cared for after His death..." Word of Comfort...
“I am thirsty” - John 19 v 28. Jesus was here fulfilling the Messianic prophecy from Psalm 69 v 21: “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” By saying He was thirsty, He prompted the Roman guards to give Him vinegar, which was customary at a crucifixion, thereby fulfilling the prophecy..." Word of Humanity...
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” - Mathew 27 v 46. Here, Jesus was expressing His feelings of abandonment as God placed the sins of the world on Him – and because of that, God had to “turn away” from Jesus. As Jesus was feeling that weight of sin, He was experiencing a separation from God for the only time in all of eternity..." Word of Division...
“It is finished!” - John 19 v 30. Jesus’ last words meant that His suffering was over and the whole work His Father had given Him to do, which was to preach the Gospel, work miracles, and obtain eternal salvation for His people, was done, accomplished, fulfilled. The debt of sin was paid..." Word of Atonement...
“Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” - Luke 23 v 46. Here, Jesus is willingly giving up His soul into the Father’s hands, indicating that He was about to die – and that God had accepted His sacrifice..." Word of Commitment...
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" - Luke 23 v 43. In this passage, Jesus is assuring one of the criminals on the cross that when he died, he would be with Jesus in heaven. This was granted because even at the hour of his death, the criminal had expressed his faith in Jesus, recognizing Him for who He was... (Luke 23 v 42)" Word of Salvation...
“Dear Woman, here is your son!” and “Here is your mother!” When Jesus saw His mother standing near the cross with the Apostle John, whom He loved, He committed His mother’s care into John’s hands. And from that hour John took her unto his own home. (John 19 v 26-27) In this verse Jesus, ever the compassionate Son, is making sure His earthly mother is cared for after His death..." Word of Comfort...
“I am thirsty” - John 19 v 28. Jesus was here fulfilling the Messianic prophecy from Psalm 69 v 21: “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” By saying He was thirsty, He prompted the Roman guards to give Him vinegar, which was customary at a crucifixion, thereby fulfilling the prophecy..." Word of Humanity...
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” - Mathew 27 v 46. Here, Jesus was expressing His feelings of abandonment as God placed the sins of the world on Him – and because of that, God had to “turn away” from Jesus. As Jesus was feeling that weight of sin, He was experiencing a separation from God for the only time in all of eternity..." Word of Division...
“It is finished!” - John 19 v 30. Jesus’ last words meant that His suffering was over and the whole work His Father had given Him to do, which was to preach the Gospel, work miracles, and obtain eternal salvation for His people, was done, accomplished, fulfilled. The debt of sin was paid..." Word of Atonement...
“Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” - Luke 23 v 46. Here, Jesus is willingly giving up His soul into the Father’s hands, indicating that He was about to die – and that God had accepted His sacrifice..." Word of Commitment...
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