Time with Jesus - Wednesday, 04
January 2012
We
should never be surprised if we find that false religions contain some truth.
There must be a measure of truth or Satan would have nothing to pervert. This
tactic of perverting truth has been his trick since before Adam took charge of
Eden. These are the ploys of a confidence trickster. We shouldn’t be surprised
at that. Some believe that when he was “thrown out” of heaven, he took one
third of the angels with him. Only a superb “con man” would have been able to
persuade one third of the angels to go with him. So Adam and Eve were “conned”
into giving him dominion over themselves.
If
we look carefully at the way he went about it we see the master deceiver at
work. Just enough truth to get Eve interested. He then questioned the outcome.
Just sufficient to get her to decide to eat the forbidden fruit and give some
to Dumbo (Adam) to eat. That’s all it took. Death came into the world and we’ve
been stuck with it ever since. Only Jesus could achieve that which no one else
could do. In order to do so, He first had to die. Then He could literally
swallow death completely! That’s exactly what He did.
So
why do we still have to die? Because, in spite of inflation and the collapse of
the international currency system, the wages of sin is still death. Nothing has
changed since the fall of man. You and I were born with a sin nature. So we
have to die until Jesus decides to return. Then the trumpet will sound and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible. Until that happens, we will continue to “sleep
in death”.
It’s
interesting to note than when anyone spoke of someone’s death, Jesus remarked
that the person was not dead but sleeping. Of course, since He is the Resurrection
and the Life, He has authority to awaken people from the sleep of death. So
when He raised Lazarus from the dead, all He did was use His authority to
awaken him from death’s sleep. Incidentally, I recall one preacher saying that
if Jesus hadn’t prefixed His statement with Lazarus’ name, all of creation
would have come forth! Such is the authority of our Lord and Master!
Today’s
meditation looks at death and what Jesus achieved by His death. It’s glorious for
Christians to know that when they die, they will literally fall asleep. According
to Paul, their Spirit’s will be present with the Lord. Then, when He decides,
the trumpet will sound and we will all receive a resurrection body. One that is
ageless and deathless. David Pawson makes the comment that we will then all get
a free ticket to the Holy Land where we will be with Him. What a magnificent thought.
Before or after the great tribulation? Who cares anyway? We will be with the
only one who really matters.
So
let’s not become afraid of death. It’s only a trick of the master “con man”.
Jesus has already defeated death so it should hold no terrors for us anyway.
Today’s
meditation takes another look at death and its defeat by Jesus.
Blessings
Jim & Phyllida Strickland.
Death is Conquered
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What is it folk are frightened
of? For most of them, it’s death.
They don’t know what will happen
when they’ve breathed their final breath.
It’s surely understandable, for
all of us must die;
No matter how we put it off, it
comes for you and I!
It happened to the Master, when
He was on the cross.
He took in death and swallowed
it. Now He’s become death’s boss.
As Christians, we should know
it; but most of us still fear,
The prospect of what happens,
when we get out of here!
We know the way it happened.
Adam disobeyed.
So Satan was his master and
death came in and stayed.
The devil thought he’d
triumphed. This world became his own.
He thought that he could never lose
his well established throne.
He knew that the sin nature
would always be passed down.
It would require a perfect man
to take away His crown.
He knew that if a perfect man
would ever pass away,
That God would raise him up
again, for death could never stay,
On someone who was perfect.
Before the corpse could rot,
That God would raise Him back to
life. Corruption just could not;
Hold him in its icy grip.
Perfection couldn’t stay,
Forever in an earthly grave.
There wasn’t any way,
That Satan’s hosts could keep
him. His wages were not death.
In fact the very life of God
would dwell in every breath.
And that is just what happened.
He had the victory
Because He lived a perfect life,
there was no way that He,
Could stay within death’s
bondage. He died and so His soul,
Could never be held captive; and
death was swallowed whole!
So why are people frightened of
all that death can bring?
The truth is that in Jesus
Christ, that death has lost its sting.
We may have the experience of
what it is to die.
But Jesus Christ will raise us
up to heights above the sky.
It has no power over us that He
does not permit.
And any instant He decides,
He’ll lift us out of it!
So dying is a victory that Jesus
turns around.
The grave can’t hold us in its
grip. We just wait for the sound.
A trumpet blast in heaven will
raise us from the grave;
And we will rise to be with Him,
no longer Satan’s slave!
And live with Christ forever;
and death will disappear;
No longer can it terrify for
Jesus Christ is near.
Jim Strickland – Written Wednesday 4th January 2012
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