Thursday, March 20, 2014

Jesus Defeats Our Enemy and Releases Us

"And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go." (Exodus 3: 20)

First of all, when we read any passage, we can receive the truth that in Christ, through God our Father, we are delivered from all enemies:

"Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." (Psalm 16: 1)

and

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (Romans 8: 37)

Oftentimes, we want to see the wonders in our own lives, but first God wants to rid of us our enemies from within, who are taking away from us the recognition of the truth, and His power working in us to overcome.

Egypt speaks of the world, of ourselves, of our flesh, of our former, dead state in sin.

Just as God set His hand against Egypt in order to deliver Egypt, so to God unleashed His fiery wrath against His Son, that through the payment on His innocent body, we would be delivered from sin and death in our old nature:

"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; " (Ephesians 2: 14-15)

The source of enmity between us and God was the Ten Commandments, the standard which established the Old Covenant between the Israelites and God.

Now, does that make the law a bad thing?

"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." (Romans 7: 7)

Paul writes before this passage, too:

"4Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7: 4-6)

Because of the law, we see our need for a savior, and then we receive God's grace and gift of righteousness (Romans 5: 17) because of all that Jesus has done for us!

Jesus defeated sin and death, obliterated the ministry of death and condemnation, which is the law (2 Corinthians 3: 7-9), and delivers us to Himself!

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