The Cross and the Devil

"Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." John 12:31-32.

The devil’s influence and power has been felt for thousands of years. Many lives have been ruined by his deceptions, many ministries destroyed, many marriages divided in two. But from John 12:31 we see that the cross is the solution for humanity’s problem with the devil. The cross is where the "Seed of the woman" crushed "the head of the serpent" (Genesis 3:15), dealing a deathblow to him. The cross, where Jesus Christ died outside the city of Jerusalem, is where He cast out the devil from the city of humanity, and where Christ defeated this evil one for all eternity.

The gospel of God’s grace, which is centered in the cross of Jesus Christ, contains liberating power for all who come to believe. This power is sufficient to save any sinner, justify all the ungodly, sanctify all justified sinners, and glorify every sanctified saint.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Cor. 1:18

Truth Under Attack

The name of the book is Conversations with God.. James Dobson talked about this book twice this week. It is devastating. Please pay special attention not only to what your kids watch on TV, in movie theaters, on the Internet, and the music they listen to, but also be alert regarding the books they read.
Two particular books are, Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens, written by Neale D. Walsch. They sound harmless enough by their titles alone. The books have been on the New York Times best sellers list for a number of weeks, and they make truth of the statement, 'Don't judge a book by its cover or title.'

The author purports to answer various questions asked by kids using the 'voice of God'. However, the 'answers' that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible word of God. For instance (and I paraphrase), when a girl asks the question 'Why am I a lesbian?' His answer is that she was 'born that way' because of genetics (just as you were born right-handed, with brown eyes, etc.). Then he tells her to go out and 'celebrate' her differences.

Another girl poses the question 'I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?' His reply is, 'Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong.'

Another question asks about God's forgiveness of sin. His reply 'I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because the rule is ''judge not lest ye be judged.' Not only are these books the false doctrine of the devil, but in some instances quote (in error) the Word of God.

And the list goes on. These books (and others like it) are being sold to schoolchildren through (The Scholastic Book Club), and we need to be aware of what is being fed to our children.

Our children are under attack. So I pray that you be sober and vigilant about teaching your children the Word of God, and guarding their exposure to worldly mediums, because our adversary, the devil, roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We know that lions usually
hunt for the slowest, weakest and YOUNGEST of its prey.

Break my Heart, Lord (C.H. Spurgeon)

"Go as you are to Christ, and ask him to give that tenderness of heart which will be to you the indication that pardon has come; for pardon cannot and will not come separated from a melting of soul and a hatred of sin.
Wrestle with the Lord! Say, I will not let you go except you bless me... say in your soul, if I perish I will perish at the foot of the cross. I will not depart from my hope in Jesus...
I will look up and say, Savior, your heart was broken for me, break my heart! You were wounded, wound me! Your blood was freely poured forth, for me, Lord let me pour forth my tears that I should have nailed you to the tree. Oh Lord, dissolve my soul; melt it in tenderness, and you will be forever praised for making your enemy your friend."

Brokenness brings Healing

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17

Note: David said that God receives brokenness as the only acceptable sacrifice. The previous verse states that God does not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The reason for this is obvious: someone could give burnt offerings (or tithes, or church-work, etc.) without the heart being involved.


To Think About: Brokenness brings healing, life, revival, rescue, and true prayer. So, we see that becoming broken before the Lord is indispensable.

"My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Jeremiah 2:13


This verse brings to mind Dante's Inferno. In his description of hell, the inhabitants of one particular circle are sentenced to eternally fill and re-fill leaky jars. (Tony)

Note: God describes himself as the spring of living water. He alone is the source of life, refreshment, joy, and nourishment for us. He is ever fresh and new, as a spring and, to drink of God, is to receive life and satisfaction!

Purity and Pain

"There is much discomfort and pain involved in crucifying our flesh. For us, denying ourselves when we are burning with desire is most uncomfortable, and even painful, but the pain is worth the gain!"
M.C

Nothing but the Blood

NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow,
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know;
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon, this I see;
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing, this my plea;
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Slavery of righteousness

"Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness." Rm. 6.19,20.

There is POWER in the Blood

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood,
Would you o'er evil a victory win?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood.

There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood.

Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Sin stains are lost in its life-giving flow;
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood.

Would you do service for Jesus your King?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Would you live daily His praises to sing?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood.

Imputed X imparted righteousness

Imputed righteousness is that which Christ gives me as a free gift (Romans 5:12-18). It is an immediate gift to me, happening at once, and is not progressive. It is done to me, or imputed. That is, His righteousness is credited to my account, similar to someone depositing money into my bank account. (Romans 4:23-25)

Imparted righteousness is that righteousness that is progressively changing my heart and life by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Philippians 2:13) Whereas imputed righteousness is an instant and immediate gift, imparted righteousness is a progressive and ongoing gift. My heart continually becomes more broken before the Lord. My self-will is continually crushed, my rebellion is progressively broken, and my pride is being overcome, all by God's grace. I am openly and overtly changed to detest the sin I once loved, and to love the Savior with Whom I was once at odds.

Out of my bondage

JESUS I COME
:::::::::::::

Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come; Jesus I come.
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth.
Out of my sin and into thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of earth's sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life's storms and into Thy calm.
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Healing Power Against Sin

That is what would cure us: Jesus Christ was lifted up on a cross, where He died for our sins. LOOK! Do you see Him there? He is wounded in His hands for the wrong we've done with our hands. His feet are pierced because of the wrong places our feet have taken us. He is wearing a crown of thorns because of the wrong thoughts we've cherished, His heart is broken because of the wrong loves we've had. LOOK! There He is! Do you see Jesus there on the cross? He's our cure! Look, believe and live!

Afflictions (M. Henry)

"Afflictions are sent to engage and quicken us to see God, and, by the grace of God working with them, many are thus reduced to their right mind, "When these things shall come upon thee, it is to be hoped that thou wilt turn to the Lord they God, for thou seest what comes of turning from him; see Dan. 9:11, 12. Fourthly, God's faithfulness to his covenant encourages us to hope that he will not reject us, though we be driven to him by affliction. If we at length remember the covenant, we shall find that he has not forgotten it."

Freedom

There is no true freedom in the heart that does not love God. But, once this love for God is planted in the heart, it will enable us to go through any trial, and to stand up under any temptation, and not fall. If we are falling to sin, we do not have proper love for God.

Resist the Beginnings - Thomas A. Kemps

Resist the beginnings; remedies come too late, when by long delay the evil has gained strength. First, a mere thought comes to mind, then strong imagination, followed by pleasure, evil delight, and consent. Thus, because he is not resisted in the beginning, Satan gains full entry. And the longer a man delays in resisting, so much the weaker does he become each day, while the strength of the enemy grows against him.

Christianity - D. Martin Lloyd-Jones

"Religion is man searching for God; Christianity is God seeking man, manifesting Himself to him, drawing Himself unto him."

Temptation...

Temptation is more powerful than we are; it is more persistent than we are; and it is more persuasive than we are. Our only hope is to RUN, RUN, RUN. Flee away from it as if it is a burning house. Run from it no matter what the cost. Joseph would rather lose a good coat than a good conscience.

An Old Puritan Said:

"Our first duty as Christians is to get ourselves happy in God."

"Sin that is tolerated in the nation, or the home, or the individual, always drives the Holy Spirit of God away."
Mike Cleveland

Is God' s will my will?

Oswald Chambers

"This is the will of God, even your sanctification." 1 Thessalonians 4:3

It is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me; is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me all that has been made possible by the Atonement? Am I willing to let Jesus be made sanctification to me, and to let the life of Jesus be manifested in my mortal flesh? Beware of saying - Oh, I am longing to be sanctified. You are not, stop longing and make it a matter of transaction - "Nothing in my hands I bring." Receive Jesus Christ to be made sanctification to you in implicit faith, and the great marvel of the Atonement of Jesus will be made real in you. All that Jesus made possible is made mine by the free loving gift of God on the ground of what He performed, my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound humble holiness (there is no such thing as proud holiness), a holiness based on agonizing repentance and a sense of unspeakable shame and degradation; and also on the amazing realization that the love of God commended itself to me in that while I cared nothing about Him, He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification (see Rom. 5:8. R.V.). No wonder Paul says nothing is "able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with God, and it is done only through the superb Atonement of Christ. Never put the effect as the cause. The effect in me is obedience and service and prayer, and is the out come of speechless thanks and adoration for the marvellous sanctification wrought out in me because of the Atonement.

A Meditation from C. H. Spurgeon

"I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth."—Ecclesiastes 10:7.

PSTARTS frequently usurp the highest places, while the truly great pine in obscurity. This is a riddle in providence whose solution will one day gladden the hearts of the upright; but it is so common a fact, that none of us should murmur if it should fall to our own lot. When our Lord was upon earth, although He is the Prince of the kings of the earth, yet He walked the footpath of weariness and service as the Servant of servants: what wonder is it if His followers, who are princes of the blood, should also be looked down upon as inferior and contemptible persons? The world is upside down, and therefore, the first are last and the last first. See how the servile sons of Satan lord it in the earth! What a high horse they ride! How they lift up their horn on high! Haman is in the court, while Mordecai sits in the gate; David wanders on the mountains, while Saul reigns in state; Elijah is complaining in the cave while Jezebel is boasting in the palace; yet who would wish to take the places of the proud rebels? and who, on the other hand, might not envy the despised saints? When the wheel turns, those who are lowest rise, and the highest sink. Patience, then, believer, eternity will right the wrongs of time.
Let us not fall into the error of letting our passions and carnal appetites ride in triumph, while our nobler powers walk in the dust. Grace must reign as a prince, and make the members of the body instruments of righteousness. The Holy Spirit loves order, and He therefore sets our powers and faculties in due rank and place, giving the highest room to those spiritual faculties which link us with the great King; let us not disturb the divine arrangement, but ask for grace that we may keep under our body and bring it into subjection. We were not new created to allow our passions to rule over us, but that we, as kings, may reign in Christ Jesus over the triple kingdom of spirit, soul, and body, to the glory of God the Father.

Faith - Martin Luther King

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.

Martin Luther King