What The Cross Accomplished: from dominion to devices

Read

This is a bitter-sweet moment; Jesus is dying this criminal’s death, and the criminal knows it. This criminal is hanging in the error of his sinful ways, and in his fear of God, realizes his condemnation is just and sees the cost of his sin, he is perishing! But he calls on Jesus, to remember him in his kingdom. And Jesus affirms the criminal that it will be so. Y’all, this is grace!

This historical moment in history, changed the course of history! The actual crucifixion is the visual of the gospel testimony! Paul say’s in that the cross is folly to those who are perishing, and what was happening on the other cross with the other criminal, he was mocking Jesus like those below him, saying, “are you not the Christ”, “ Save yourself and us”, he perished. But to the criminal who saw his penalty of sin, called on Jesus, The POWER of GOD!! As states it. Paul tells Timothy in that there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus!!! And in this moment, Jesus, literally was the mediator with the criminal!

The cross defeated the dominion of darkness. Prior to Christ accomplishing this work, we were slaves to unrighteousness, sin, and darkness, but Christ broke the dominion of darkness.

Read: ; ; ; ; ; ;

So when we look at our current study of spiritual warfare, because of Christ, we have a power to fight! This whole study is about providing awareness of Satan’s devices to get men to sin and providing remedies for such warfare, but before Christ, he didn’t need to get us to sin, we were his, being under the bondage of sin already. ;

First Device that Satan uses to draw souls from holy duties, and to keep them off from religious services;

Device: By presenting the world in such a pretty wardrobe to the soul, as to ensnare the soul, and to capture the affections of the soul.

“Where one thousand are destroyed by the world’s frowns, ten thousand are destroyed the worlds smiles.”

Remedies:

To dwell upon the impotency and weakness of all these things here on earth.

In other words, the things of this world can’t provide lasting help in our pain or pleasure. Pain and pleasure are Satan’s access points for his devices. Look at Christ, for example, Satan couldn’t find an in to tempt Christ because his pleasure was in the will of the Father and pain was the will of the Father.

To dwell upon the vanity of them as well as upon the impotency of all worldly good.

Biblically, the word vanity isn’t used in the sense of conceit or self-centeredness, but rather, the lexical sense is emptiness, nothingness, purposelessness, and chaos.

To dwell much upon the uncertainty, the mutability, and inconsistency of all things under the sun. ; ; ;

There is nothing certain in this life except death. Things are always changing and there hardly consistent. Riches fail, new rusts out, beauty fades, here today, and gone tomorrow. The world is troublesome and yet its loved.

Consider that all the happiness of this world is mixed.

light with darkness, joy with sorrow, pleasures with pains, honor and dishonor, love and hate. Danger accompanies safety, sorrow accompanies worldly joy, and tears accompany worldly purposes.