Angelic Conflict part 230: Human history (the Christ) – Rom 8:35-39; Gal 3:1-14; Deu 21:22-23; Act 2:22-28; Heb 2:14-18.Title: Angelic Conflict part 229: Human history (the Christ) – Rom 8:35-39; Gal 3:1-14; Deu 21:22-23; Act 2:22-28; Heb 2:14-18.
Because of the many things that have gone wrong in God’s universe due to sin and evil we will face adversity and tribulation which God has allowed. We must remember that it cannot happen if God doesn’t allow it. These things in particular are not a part of His Sovereign will, but He is in control of it all and can allow or stop anything that comes our way. In all of it, the positive believer has the privilege of displaying God’s surpassing power.
Rom 8:35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation [suffering or pressure], or distress [narrow space], or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36Just as it is written, "For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
God's faithful people may expect persecution from their enemies at any period when their hatred of righteousness is roused, and there is nothing to restrain it.
Rom 8:37But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
The presence of evil at the hands of fallen angels and men is not removed from the life of the believer, but through Christ we overwhelmingly conquer it.
We overwhelmingly conquer (more than conquerors) because our victory is not natural but supernatural, without ceasing, and has eternal results – overwhelming, conquering sheep.
What a strange depiction. We’re not called conquering lions or conquering elephants [great beasts of war] but conquering sheep! Could you imagine a great general walking on to the battlefield with a herd of sheep? His enemy looking at him would conclude that the sheep were being led to slaughter. Our conquering comes through our Shepherd alone who has given us supernatural power. He has given us direction through His word, power through His Spirit, and hope through our election and predestination, knowing that nothing, absolutely nothing will ever separate us from the love of God.
Luk 10:3 Go your ways; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
Joh 16:1-3 These things I have spoken to you, that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. "And these things they will do, because they have not known the Father, or Me.
When we understand how sheep can be conquerors then we will understand the purposes and ways of God.
In the beginning of the creation God brought forth hosts of beings, spirit beings with knowledge, feelings, and will, created to be the messengers of His will. Over all this creation God placed Lucifer, the highest and most wonderful of all these created beings. Lucifer was the prime minister of the universe, ruling for God and taking the worship of the creation to God. There came a day when he conceived a thought in his heart — a terrible thought — that he was wonderful enough to act without God. The Bible tells us that he was "full of wisdom and perfect in beauty" (Eze 28:12). He thought that his wisdom was sufficient to initiate ideas of government, and he thought that his beauty was such that he should receive from the lower angels acknowledgement of his worth — worthship — worship.
From the moment of satan’s independence there were two wills in the universe and all that has come of misery and sorrow and death since that time came as a result of this first of all sins.
Rom 8:38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels [fallen], nor principalities [demons], nor things present[sin and evil], nor things to come [judgment], nor powers [human and angelic],
Rom 8:39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A review of this wonderful chapter shows that the Christian is completely victorious. We are free from judgment because Christ died for us and we have His righteousness. We are free from defeat because Christ lives in us by His Spirit and we share His life. We are free from discouragement because Christ is coming for us and we shall share His glory. We are free from fear because Christ intercedes for us and we cannot be separated from His love.
No condemnation! No obligation! No frustration! No separation! If God be for us, who can be against us?
All of this deliverance is due to one Person, our Lord and King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Sanhedrin plotted to kill Jesus secretly. This was satan’s will since it would have prevented the cross.
The last plot was hatched directly before His Passover:
Mat 26:3-5 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth, and kill Him. But they were saying, "Not during the festival, lest a riot occur among the people."
Of course, none of these plots worked because God the Father was in control of the destiny of Jesus Christ.
Christ was destined to become a curse for us and that was only going to happen in God’s way.
The cross of Jesus Christ is the supreme demonstration of the ways of God. Here, before men, angels, and demons, the principles of the divine purpose and method shall be revealed so that all who follow shall be able to know and understand the good purpose of His will and shall be able to see the holiness of the working of that will.
The Mosaic Law is holy, but no man could fulfill it. The Law was fulfilled by Jesus Christ and so now it is nullified in the lives of men, no longer put upon them.
What Christ became just before He died is the basis for the nullification of the Law in our lives.
Many wonder how a holy God could put His son to death.
Christ did not become a sinner, but He certainly became cursed. He became cursed under the letter of the Law so that no man would ever have to be cursed.
2Co 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Gal 3:1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
Gal 3:2This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Gal 3:3Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Gal 3:4Did you suffer so many things in vain — if indeed it was in vain?
Gal 3:5Does He then, who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Gal 3:6Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.
Gal 3:7Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
Gal 3:8And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the nations shall be blessed in you. "
Gal 3:9So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
Gal 3:10For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them."
Christ was not a violator of the Law, but He did become a curse under the Law by the hands of others, innocent of all sin.
Gal 3:11Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, " The righteous man shall live by faith. "
Gal 3:12However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who practices them shall live by them. "
Gal 3:13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written [Deu 21:23], "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree " —
Gal 3:14in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Deu 21:22 "And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
Deu 21:23his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.
It is interesting that this is spoken by Moses right before the children of Israel enter the Promised Land. It’s as if to say, “Look, all of your victories are going to be the result of the God man becoming a curse for you, so that God does not have to judge you and can forgive all of you of all transgression, so conquer the land in confidence, knowing that it is your God who goes before you to deliver you from your enemies.
No man will ever comprehend the death of Jesus Christ until he realizes that the Lord was put to death by God the Father. The fact that the Jews delivered Him over to death and that the Gentiles nailed Him to the cross is relatively unimportant. The one thing that really matters is that God the Father put God the Son in the person of Jesus Christ to death; full spiritual and physical death, and that changed everything.
Isa 53:10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
Act 2:22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know —
Act 2:23this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
Act 2:24"And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
Act 2:25"For David says of Him [Psa 16:8-11], 'I was always beholding the Lord in my presence ; For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
Remember that Christ is at the right hand of God defending while we saw satan at the right hand of Joshua the high priest accusing. Yet even before the session of Christ, He was defending His people.
Psa 73:23 Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand.
Psa 121:5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
Act 2:26'Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; Moreover my flesh also will abide in hope;
The context suggests: My flesh will rest in the grave in hope of deliverance from death.
David, through the prophetic gift given to him, realized that he would go to Hades but not remain in its possession or as its prisoner. Peter quotes this at his momentous speech, also through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit to reveal that Christ, who did not undergo decay, has completely conquered death by becoming a curse for us.
Act 2:27Because Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, Nor allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.
Act 2:28'Thou hast made known to me the ways of life [resurrection life]; Thou wilt make me full of gladness with Thy presence.' |