" For we do not wrestle with against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers , against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." -Ephesian 6:12
Paul just described our enemy. Many think it is there spouse that is their enemy, or a boss, or a classmate, or some person that attacks us. Nope, it is the demonic world around us and the evil forces in place that are working. Be watchful and alert.
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" Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."- Ephesians 6:11
Every soldier, every warrior has to suit up, put on their equipment. I have friends who have served in the military. They had uniforms, equipment that they had to put on before they engaged in battle. And yet, we walk out into a devil control world unprepared, ill equipped , and basically uninformed to live a war torn world. Does this sound logical? No wonder our homes are breaking up and down. No wonder our countries are being destroy and taken over by ungodly forces. No wonder our churches are being infiltrated and influence by the world. Where are the well armored Christians? The Hope of the Saints Demands It
Only Christ’s glorious, triumphant return can fulfill the hope of the saints- every true believer longs for that day. Paul characterizes Christians as those who” love his appearing”( 2 Timothy 4:8). The apostle John says, 1 John 3:2-3 (NLT2) Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. The return of Christ will instantly usher in the fullness of our glorification. Here is the test:” Is your hope a purifying influence on your soul? Are you looking beyond the commotion, corruption of this world with the realization that you could soon meet Christ face to face, and are you preparing your heart and soul for that? Are you eager and watchful? Are you filled with joyful hope and expectation? That is the attitude to which the Scripture calls for. The Destruction of Satan Demands It
Satan, though already a defeated foe as far as the Christians are concerned( though some of you don’t realize that), still exercises a kind of dominion over this world( John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11; 2 Cor.4:4; Ephesians 2:2;6:12; 1 John 5:19). But Christ is the only rightful ruler of this world, and when He returns, He will overthrow and destroy Satan completely. In Revelation 5, when Christ receives the seven-sealed scroll, the title deed of the earth, He unleashed judgment with the crack of each seal(Revelation6) . The seal judgments give way to the judgment of the seven trumpets( Revelation8), the trumpet judgements lead to the judgment of the seven bowls(Revelation16). Finally, after one last attempt by Satan to retain his unlawful dominion over the earth, Christ Himself returns to take care the foe- He chains him , cast him into a bottomless pit and finally confines him to an eternal lake of fire( Revelation 19). With that, Christ’s victory over Satan the evil one is complete. Christ is victorious and so are we. The Vindication( Justification) of Christ Demands It
It is inconceivable that the last public view the world would have of Jesus Christ would be that of a bleeding, crucified criminal, covered with blood, spit, and flies, hanging naked in the Jerusalem twilight. Did you realize that after His resurrection, He never appeared in a public venue before unbelievers? Plenty of believers saw Him touched Him, spoke to Him, and gave unanimous testimony that He was risen from the dead. But there is no record that unbelievers ever saw Him. But the unbelieving world will see His glory displayed to everyone. Scripture says, Hebrews 9:28 (NLT2) 28 so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. The Savior who was humiliated , taunted, and put to death in a public display of humanity’s hatred of God will return as conquering Lord in view of the entire world( Luke 21:25-27) . And every eye will see Him ( Revelation1:7) |
What we Learned on Sunday? Insights, ideas and InspirationWritten by Pastor Chris Hudson Archives
February 2025
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