God’s reminder/ don’t harm yourself

In a war zone, it is imperative to be watchful and very wary (the war we refer to is Satan’s long battle against God and His people).  If you inadvertently step on a hidden trap it is possible to do yourself great harm.  

One of the traps the Bible warns us against is the dangerous weapon of the mouth, 

‘The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.’  James 3:6

The devil is the inventor of suicide bombers – suicide by negative words.  They cause you to self destruct.  God’s advice against it is to ask His help, 

‘May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.’  Psalm 19:14

Negative words and negative speech is a killer.   God’s antidote is His powerful positive Word.

Greatest battle in history

Tomorrow we again celebrate the single most important event in the history of the world – the battle waged around the Son of God, Son of Man.  The usurper, Satan, intended to kill the Son of God, Son of Man.  Satan thought he had bagged it when Jesus was crucified.  Why was it so important to him to get rid of God’s Son?  

Scripture testifies to how it happened that Satan became ruler of this world,    

1. Earth was given by God to man,

‘The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to man.’   Psalm 115:16   

2.  God wants man to look after the earth,

‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.’  Genesis 2:15 

3.  God gave man authority to rule over creation.  Satan rebelled against God.      He coveted Adam’s rulership and by deceit he got it,  

‘We know that we are children of God and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.’  1 John 5:19

God foreknew it would happen.  Already, at the time that Satan took over the rulership from Adam, God promised that there will be a Seed of the woman who will crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15).  Satan was wary all the time to make sure that Seed did not destroy his reign of destruction, hatred, bloodshed, violence, et cetera.  He recognized that Jesus was the promised Seed of the woman.  It became Satan’s obsession to kill Him.   

The four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John testify about the Son of God who became Son of Man.  Jesus taught and preached and revealed the Kingdom.  Satan had to get rid of Him.  His time came.  After Jesus endured excruciating pain he was crucified.  Jesus was declared dead and buried.  The grave was sealed.  Guards were placed outside to make sure nothing happened to the body.  

Jesus was resurrected and emerged as the eternal Victor.  Satan’s efforts to get rid of Jesus failed and Satan’s loss is permanent.  That is what we once again celebrate this Easter – our Savior’s eternal victory because of His immeasurable love. 

This time of the year!

It is again this time of the year.  You know, chocolate eggs and bunnies are all very in vogue.  Why the bunnies and eggs?  The ruler of this world, the devil, does not want to be reminded of the irrevocable loss he suffered in his effort to get rid of Jesus.  So he tries to deflect it and scrap/erase the name of the Victor with another narrative – chocolate bunnies and eggs. 

Please don’t ignore the reason for this time of the year: the King on the Cross.   The King who died, was buried, resurrected, went back to heaven and sits at His Father’s right hand.  It is amazing that sections of the Church joins the confusion: was Jesus crucified and resurrected and did He ascend to His Father?  Some believe and some doubt.  

Who loves doubts about Jesus’ mission?  It is His enemy, Satan.  However, the facts are,  

• If Jesus and the Cross is not real, then the Resurrection is not real.  
• If the Resurrection is not real, the Gospel would not have spread all over the world. 
• If the Gospel did not spread, we would not have it.  
• But we do have it.  That means: 

The Resurrection is real because the Cross was real, because Jesus is real.  

Some notes: 

Jesus said to His disciples how the Gospel will spread, 

‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’  Acts 1:8

The Gospel did not spread by the sword or by laws.  It spread because people  recognized the miracle of a resurrected Jesus, 

‘After His [Jesus] suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive.’  Acts 1:3

And He will come back as the disciples saw Him go,

”They were looking intently up into the sky as He [Jesus] was going [back to His Father], when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”‘  Acts 1:11

What do the bunnies and eggs prove?  Jesus is alive and well.  And those who have faith in Him will never be disappointed.