Our Toothless Enemy

You, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:13–15)

The reason that union with Christ makes a great difference for the believer is that Christ achieved a decisive triumph over the devil at Calvary. He did not remove Satan from the world, but he disarmed him to the extent that the weapon of damnation was stripped from his hand.

He cannot accuse believers of unforgiven sin. Which is the only accusation that can destroy us. And therefore, he cannot bring us to utter ruin. He can hurt us physically and emotionally — even kill us. He can tempt us and incite others against us. But he cannot destroy us.

The decisive triumph of Colossians 2:13–15 is owing to the fact that “the record of debt that stood against us” was nailed to the cross. The devil made that record his chief accusation against us. Now he has no accusation that can hold in the court of heaven. He is helpless to do the one thing he wants to do most: damn us. He can’t. Christ bore our damnation. The devil is disarmed.

Another way to say it is in Hebrews 2:14–15: “[Christ became human] that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

Death is still our enemy. But it is defanged. The viper’s poison has been drained away. The deadly sting is gone. The sting of death was sin. And the damning power of sin was in the demand of the law. But thanks be to Christ who satisfied the law’s demand. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

John Piper

When Opportunity Knocks

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” John 10:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

We need to practice the presence of the Lord this coming year. You’re going to be tempted to rush into life because of the fast pace to which society is stepping. Many doors will open for you. Many doors will close. What will you do? Remember that through it all, Jesus Christ will be behind each and every door as you seek Him with all your heart. He has promised never to leave you, nor forsake you. When the devil comes and knocks at your heart’s door this next year, simply say, “Jesus, please go answer the door.” The Lord is there with us to take care of us.

ACTION POINT:

When the door of opportunity knocks for you today, reflect on His goodness, His mercy, and His faithfulness. Trust in Him to give you what you need.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Hope for Imperfect Christians

By a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)

This verse is full of encouragement for imperfect sinners like us, and full of motivation for holiness.

It means that you can have assurance that you stand perfected and completed in the eyes of your heavenly Father not because you are perfect now, but precisely because you are not perfect now but are “being sanctified,” “being made holy” — that, by faith in God’s promises, you are moving away from your lingering imperfection toward more and more holiness. That’s the point of Hebrews 10:14.

Does your faith make you eager to forsake sin and make progress in holiness? That’s the kind of faith that in the midst of imperfection can look to Christ and say, “You have already perfected me in your sight.”

This faith says, “Christ, today I have sinned. But I hate my sin. For you have written the law on my heart, and I long to do it. And you are working in me what is pleasing in your sight (Hebrews 13:21). And so, I hate the sin that I still do; and I hate the sinful thoughts that I contemplate.”

This is the true and realistic faith that saves. This is the faith that can savor the words, “By a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

This is not the boast of the strong. It is the cry of the weak in need of a Savior.

I invite you, I urge you, to be weak enough to trust Christ in this way.

John Piper 

Setting God-Given Goals

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” Hebrews 2:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever written some God–given goals to keep you from being a drifter? Without goals, you’re a ship without a rudder, a compass, a sail and an anchor. What kind of ship is that? One that is doomed to failure. Most people don’t plan to fail. They simply don’t plan. How can you tell whether or not your goal is a God–given goal? First, have you prayed over it and asked for God’s blessing? Second, does it create in you enough spiritual enthusiasm and excitement to see it fulfilled? Third, does it demand the very best in you? Fourth, does it touch every area of your life? There is no area of your life that is out–of–bounds from God.

ACTION POINT:

Take time today—or surely this week—to write down some goals and even a mission statement focused on the following areas of your life: spiritual, physical, relational, intellectual, and financial.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Smallest Faith

It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:16)

Let us make crystal clear at the beginning of the year that all we will get from God this year, as believers in Jesus, is mercy. Whatever pleasures or pains come our way will all be mercy.

This is why Christ came into the world: “in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy” (Romans 15:9). We were born again “according to his great mercy” (1 Peter 1:3). We pray daily “that we may receive mercy” (Hebrews 4:16); and we are now “waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 1:21). If any Christian proves trustworthy, it is “by the Lord’s mercy [he] is trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 7:25).

In Luke 17:5–6, the apostles plead with the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And Jesus says, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” In other words, the issue in our Christian life and ministry is not the strength or quantity of our faith, because that is not what uproots trees. God does. Therefore, the smallest faith that truly connects us with Christ will engage enough of his power for all you need.

But what about the times that you successfully obey the Lord? Does your obedience move you out of the category of supplicant of mercy? Jesus gives the answer in the following verses of Luke 17:7–10.

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Therefore, I conclude, the fullest obedience and the smallest faith obtain the same thing from God: mercy. A mere mustard seed of faith taps into the mercy of God’s tree-moving power. And flawless obedience leaves us utterly dependent on mercy.

The point is this: Whatever the timing or form of God’s mercy, we never rise above the status of beneficiaries of mercy. We are always utterly dependent on what we do not deserve.

Therefore let us humble ourselves and rejoice and “glorify God for his mercy!”

John Piper

Who Was This Child?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20-21

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Who was this Child born that day? Who is this One we call Jesus? There’s one right answer; there are many wrong answers. Some say He was a great man. Beyond any doubt, He was a great man, but if you just tip the hat to Jesus Christ, you’ve missed it all. There was Peter the Great. There was Alexander the Great. But Jesus is more than Jesus the Great. He’s Jesus the One and Only.

The late Dr. W. A. Criswell said: “To compare the greatest men on earth like Alexander, Caesar or Shakespeare with Jesus is like comparing a grain of dust to the whole universe, a mole hill to Mount Everest.”

Others speak of Him as a moral teacher, but as C.S. Lewis said, “We don’t have the option of just simply calling Him a moral teacher and moving on. I’m trying to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus Christ as a great teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher; he would be either a lunatic, on the level of a man who says he’s a poached egg, or else he would be the devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God or else a mad man or something worse.”

ACTION POINT: 

Be prepared to share that concept with someone today. C. S. Lewis went on to say, “You can show Him up for a fool. You can spit at Him. You can kill Him as a demon. Or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let none of us come away with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He’s not left that open to us.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Those Precious Wounds

Zechariah 13:6 

6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe."

28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." - John 20:24-29

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-

2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-

3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. - 1 John 1:1-3

Have you ever stopped to think about these wounds Christ took on your behalf?

He was innocent, yet mistreated due to our sin.

Why?

God's wrath demanded to be satisfied!

With that wrath satisfied, belief in Christ and His ability to save souls from Hell was established!

This way alone is your way to be forgiven. 

There are no amounts of goodness through works that will satisfy.

Do not empty the cross of saving grace!!

Your eternity depends upon it!!!