The Authority of the Believer - 21
Today we are going to talk about Jesus’ death---what He did for us.
In Hebrews 2:9 we read that He tasted, experienced death for every man.
Two types of death happened with Jesus.
There was the pain and agony of physical death that He suffered for each of us. He has taken the pain of death. He has taken the agony of death. For the person who knows Him, death is just the taking off of the earth suit that we call our body and moving to another location called Heaven, where we take on a different suit we call our body.
You may ask: Then why do Christians die in such agony sometimes? Why do Christians die of horrible diseases and sicknesses? Well, we can ask these questions? Why doesn’t everyone accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord? Why do Christians get offended and angry? Why do Christians gossip and criticize and judge? Why do people do or not do what they are supposed to do? Why? Why? Why? The answer lies in the Word of God and the presence of the Spirit of God. Things do not happen the way they are supposed to happen because we do not know enough sometimes or we do not trust God to do what the Word says He will do. His Word is true. The truth of His Word does not stand on your experience or lack of experience. His Word stands true by itself if not one person on the earth demonstrates the truth of it.
If not one person experiences healing, if not one person experiences financial prosperity, if not one person experiences being born again, His Word regarding these things still stands true forever. Man’s experiences do not determine the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word should determine man’s experiences.
Sadly to say, most of the time, the opposite is true. We experience failure and we blame God and say that His Word does not work. We have to justify our failure. I have heard ministers from the pulpit talk about God taking somebody because He needed an angel in heaven or we never know what God is going to do or that you live in a world of fantasy if you believe that the Word will work for you the way it says.
How that must sadden our Lord, Who suffered and died that we might be free of sickness and disease, poverty, lack, want, sin, failure, defeat, etc. This is what His death is all about—substitution so that we would not have to suffer what He did. Yes, there is suffering, the suffering of resisting the devil and his lies, of resisting the sickness and disease, of resisting the lack, of resisting the words of derision from those around us who point their fingers at us and tell us that we are proof that the Word of God doesn’t work all the time.
Jesus paid the ultimate price of dying that we might live in the abundant life. I don’t know about you, but I am going to accept what He did for me, regardless of what others may think of me of whether I “look like” I am succeeding or failing. That is not the issue. The issue is this: Do you believe God and trust Him with your very life and existence? Do you believe His Word is true for you all the time? Are you willing to stand on His Word when it looks like it is not working for you personally in your life right now? These are decisions each one of us has to make, sometimes every minute of every day.
Where are you standing today? What has come against you? Are you trusting God? You know it is easy to “trust God” when everything is going well. What about your trust when it looks like everything is going the opposite of what the Word says should be happening? You know that satan is a liar and the father of liars. It is his job to convince you by circumstantial evidence that the Word does not work for you and never will work for you. He has one goal---to convince you that the Word of God does not work for you.
The Word of God does work for whosoever will believe it will work. It is up to the Spirit of God to perform what His Word says. There is not one thing you can do to make it work. Trust Him today. Ask Him what you are to do in your situation. Perhaps there are some natural things He wants you to do. Perhaps there are some spiritual things He wants you to do. Let Him guide you. He knew from the beginning of time what situations you would encounter in your life and He is Jehovah Jireh, the One Who has made provision for you before you ever had a need. What is your need today? Place it in His hands and do what He tells you to do. Listening to Him is the key to coming out of each trial we encounter, each difficulty we face. He will bring you and me through to the other side, victoriously. Do much praising today as you stand and face your giants. They are not bigger than God. Like David, all it takes is one little stone of trust to fell that big giant.
In Hebrews 2:9 we read that He tasted, experienced death for every man.
Two types of death happened with Jesus.
There was the pain and agony of physical death that He suffered for each of us. He has taken the pain of death. He has taken the agony of death. For the person who knows Him, death is just the taking off of the earth suit that we call our body and moving to another location called Heaven, where we take on a different suit we call our body.
You may ask: Then why do Christians die in such agony sometimes? Why do Christians die of horrible diseases and sicknesses? Well, we can ask these questions? Why doesn’t everyone accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord? Why do Christians get offended and angry? Why do Christians gossip and criticize and judge? Why do people do or not do what they are supposed to do? Why? Why? Why? The answer lies in the Word of God and the presence of the Spirit of God. Things do not happen the way they are supposed to happen because we do not know enough sometimes or we do not trust God to do what the Word says He will do. His Word is true. The truth of His Word does not stand on your experience or lack of experience. His Word stands true by itself if not one person on the earth demonstrates the truth of it.
If not one person experiences healing, if not one person experiences financial prosperity, if not one person experiences being born again, His Word regarding these things still stands true forever. Man’s experiences do not determine the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word should determine man’s experiences.
Sadly to say, most of the time, the opposite is true. We experience failure and we blame God and say that His Word does not work. We have to justify our failure. I have heard ministers from the pulpit talk about God taking somebody because He needed an angel in heaven or we never know what God is going to do or that you live in a world of fantasy if you believe that the Word will work for you the way it says.
How that must sadden our Lord, Who suffered and died that we might be free of sickness and disease, poverty, lack, want, sin, failure, defeat, etc. This is what His death is all about—substitution so that we would not have to suffer what He did. Yes, there is suffering, the suffering of resisting the devil and his lies, of resisting the sickness and disease, of resisting the lack, of resisting the words of derision from those around us who point their fingers at us and tell us that we are proof that the Word of God doesn’t work all the time.
Jesus paid the ultimate price of dying that we might live in the abundant life. I don’t know about you, but I am going to accept what He did for me, regardless of what others may think of me of whether I “look like” I am succeeding or failing. That is not the issue. The issue is this: Do you believe God and trust Him with your very life and existence? Do you believe His Word is true for you all the time? Are you willing to stand on His Word when it looks like it is not working for you personally in your life right now? These are decisions each one of us has to make, sometimes every minute of every day.
Where are you standing today? What has come against you? Are you trusting God? You know it is easy to “trust God” when everything is going well. What about your trust when it looks like everything is going the opposite of what the Word says should be happening? You know that satan is a liar and the father of liars. It is his job to convince you by circumstantial evidence that the Word does not work for you and never will work for you. He has one goal---to convince you that the Word of God does not work for you.
The Word of God does work for whosoever will believe it will work. It is up to the Spirit of God to perform what His Word says. There is not one thing you can do to make it work. Trust Him today. Ask Him what you are to do in your situation. Perhaps there are some natural things He wants you to do. Perhaps there are some spiritual things He wants you to do. Let Him guide you. He knew from the beginning of time what situations you would encounter in your life and He is Jehovah Jireh, the One Who has made provision for you before you ever had a need. What is your need today? Place it in His hands and do what He tells you to do. Listening to Him is the key to coming out of each trial we encounter, each difficulty we face. He will bring you and me through to the other side, victoriously. Do much praising today as you stand and face your giants. They are not bigger than God. Like David, all it takes is one little stone of trust to fell that big giant.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 6:03 AM
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