"He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)
Pop "Christianity" attributes so much and so many things to, "the works of the devil." If, however, you read our text in context, there is no doubt as to what is, "the works of the devil"----------- sin. Our text is quite clear. Jesus came to destroy sin. Sin "entered" humanity when Satan lied to our ancestors, and our ancestors believed the lie. "....sin is of the devil," and if it is, then I should hate it, avoid it "like the devil." The history of nations, the history of you and me is the history of, "He who sins."
Why is it that if anyone talks of sin, preaches or teaches about sin, people get all depressed? I think it's quite simple; we are all sinners. Too many like to justify their sin, "Well, nobody's perfect," and other such rationalizations and excuses, which, by the way, is nonsense, since our Lord Jesus commanded us, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." If our text is true, "He who sins is of the devil," then it should be something I would take more seriously. Perhaps holiness/ sanctification would be spoken of and taught more frequently. "My little children," we read yesterday in 1 John 2, "I write to you, so that you may not sin." This is our Lord Jesus Christ, the "God-Breathed" Word, speaking these words to us. It is His Objective for us. He knows what sin does, and His Word declares a wonderful promise and command to us, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body....For sin shall not have dominion over you...." Jesus suffered, was beaten, spit upon, "was wounded,..was bruised," so that you and I could be free from the awful destroyer of the human race, sin.
What a great and wonderful promise in today's text, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." I am going to start taking a new "posture" towards sin. "Isn't it a little late for that?" someone might say. No, I say. If sin cost Jesus so much, that which you and I will never be able to comprehend "throughout" eternity, then the Church needs to stop excusing ourselves, stop taking it so lightly. I don't care if your tradition was measured sleeve and dress lengths, no smoking, drinking, "holier than thou." Such people need to get over it. If, "for this purpose," Jesus Christ came to the earth, "that He might destroy the works of the devil," then we need to start walking in His Victorious Destruction of sin. If the Church, including Christian media, spent as much time on teaching people to claim and walk in the promise of sin's destruction as they do on healing and prosperity, we might have a different "church," perhaps a revival-transformation church.
Sin was destroyed , "in His Cross," in Jesus' Blood, Death, Resurrection. Now let us walk in the victory of sin's destruction!
Father, in Jesus' Name, I confess that I have taken sin too lightly over my life time. Holy Spirit, I pray mercy and strength to change that. Amen.
******************
Will be out of town from August 29 through September 2. My laptop is in the shop, so I might be out of contact til September 3.
Pop "Christianity" attributes so much and so many things to, "the works of the devil." If, however, you read our text in context, there is no doubt as to what is, "the works of the devil"----------- sin. Our text is quite clear. Jesus came to destroy sin. Sin "entered" humanity when Satan lied to our ancestors, and our ancestors believed the lie. "....sin is of the devil," and if it is, then I should hate it, avoid it "like the devil." The history of nations, the history of you and me is the history of, "He who sins."
Why is it that if anyone talks of sin, preaches or teaches about sin, people get all depressed? I think it's quite simple; we are all sinners. Too many like to justify their sin, "Well, nobody's perfect," and other such rationalizations and excuses, which, by the way, is nonsense, since our Lord Jesus commanded us, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." If our text is true, "He who sins is of the devil," then it should be something I would take more seriously. Perhaps holiness/ sanctification would be spoken of and taught more frequently. "My little children," we read yesterday in 1 John 2, "I write to you, so that you may not sin." This is our Lord Jesus Christ, the "God-Breathed" Word, speaking these words to us. It is His Objective for us. He knows what sin does, and His Word declares a wonderful promise and command to us, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body....For sin shall not have dominion over you...." Jesus suffered, was beaten, spit upon, "was wounded,..was bruised," so that you and I could be free from the awful destroyer of the human race, sin.
What a great and wonderful promise in today's text, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." I am going to start taking a new "posture" towards sin. "Isn't it a little late for that?" someone might say. No, I say. If sin cost Jesus so much, that which you and I will never be able to comprehend "throughout" eternity, then the Church needs to stop excusing ourselves, stop taking it so lightly. I don't care if your tradition was measured sleeve and dress lengths, no smoking, drinking, "holier than thou." Such people need to get over it. If, "for this purpose," Jesus Christ came to the earth, "that He might destroy the works of the devil," then we need to start walking in His Victorious Destruction of sin. If the Church, including Christian media, spent as much time on teaching people to claim and walk in the promise of sin's destruction as they do on healing and prosperity, we might have a different "church," perhaps a revival-transformation church.
Sin was destroyed , "in His Cross," in Jesus' Blood, Death, Resurrection. Now let us walk in the victory of sin's destruction!
Father, in Jesus' Name, I confess that I have taken sin too lightly over my life time. Holy Spirit, I pray mercy and strength to change that. Amen.
******************
Will be out of town from August 29 through September 2. My laptop is in the shop, so I might be out of contact til September 3.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
