Dealing with the strongman within part 1 youtu.be/v-S0SSQVEK0 Video 1 hour, sabbath lesson long.. When a person trusts in Christ and commits himself to Christ, he discovers that the gospel becomes real and practical in his own experience. This is what we call conversion. But conversion is only the beginning of the battle. Very soon, a new Believer/Christian becomes aware of the evil forces at work to destroy him. If he goes no farther in his new life than to believe his sins are forgiven, he will remain in bondage to those sins, living a life of conflict and frustration. But the battle is fought on the ground that we have been delivered from the dominion of darkness that we have been brought out of the power of Satan and into the kingdom of AHaYaH HauHaY (YHUH יהוה). Returning to the passage in Luke, we have seen (1) that human beings alone are helpless against the power of Satan, and (2) that liberation from the power of Satan is available only through the gospel, through belief in MessiYah YashaYaH (יהושע), who destroyed Satans power. Now we come to AHaYaH HauHaY (YHUH יהוה)s third principle, revealed in Luke 11:23: He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters (Luke 11:23). Here, then, is the next principle YashaYaH (יהושע) reveals to us: (3) There is no neutrality in spiritual warfare. You either stand with Christ or against Him. He is saying here that it is not possible to take a neutral stance. Mere profession is not sufficient; total commitment is required. There are always those who say, I understand something of the gospel, and I agree that theres much of value in the Believer/Christian faith. I am a friend of Christianity. I believe that Christianity exerts a positive influence on society but I do not care to go so far as to personally receive Christ. I dont want to be thought extreme or a religious fanatic. I choose to remain neutral YashaYaH (יהושע) says this stance is impossible. There is no neutrality. He who is not with me is against me. A person who does not receive total deliverance is still under the bondage and control of the dark powers of Satan. There are no exceptions. That is why Christ is the crisis of history. He spoke of Himself that way as the divider of humanity. As He looks at human beings, there are only two groups. There are those who are wholly with Him because they are of Him they have received Him, they know Him, they love Him, and they partake in His life. And there are those who are against Him. He who is not with me is against me. On the other hand, some are tempted to say, Well, if this is the case, then I want to be a Believer in Yah, but I dont know about all this inward control. Im willing to go along with the outward forms of Christianity Im willing to join the church but inwardly, I still believe in directing my own life and running my own affairs. YashaYaH (יהושע) says you cannot do that. He who does not gather with me, scatters. Let me tell you a tragic story. Lord Kenneth Clark (1903-1983) was a world-renowned art historian and host of the BBC-PBS television series Civilization. He lived his life as an agnostic. As far as we can know, he died without faith in MessiYah YashaYaH (יהושע). In his autobiography, he told about the experience of visiting a magnificent European cathedral, where he had what he described as a profound and breathtaking religious experience. My whole being, he recalled, was irradiated by a kind of heavenly joy far more intense than anything I had known before. Yet, immediately after this experience, Clark pulled back from faith in Christ. He realized that if he were to become a Believer in Yah, his entire life would have to change. He liked the life he had as an agnostic, and did not want to submit his life to AHaYaH HauHaY (YHUH יהוה)ship of MessiYah YashaYaH (יהושע). Besides, he said, his family and friends were all as irreligious as he was, and they would think he had lost his mind. He didnt want to subject himself to their ridicule, so he rejected AHaYaH HauHaY (YHUH יהוה) and turned his back on his one brief glimmering of Believer in Yah joy. I was too deeply embedded in the world to change course, he reflected. What a tragic epitaph for a human soul! And how many people around us could say those same words: I refuse to change I am too deeply embedded in the world. Here was a man with a great reputation in the world yet he chose to waste his mortal life and his eternal soul pursuing things that could never last and never satisfy. What if, instead of choosing to be accepted by his godless family members and friends, he had chosen to have an influence upon them for Christ? What if instead of choosing to squander and scatter AHaYaH HauHaY (YHUH יהוה)s gift of life, he had chosen instead to gather his family and friends into the kingdom of Eloah (God) AHaYaH HauHaY (YHUH יהוה)? There is one thing that reveals whether youre with YashaYaH (יהושע) or against Him: the influence of your life. MessiYah YashaYaH (יהושע) has come into the world to gather together the adopted children of Eloah (God) AHaYaH HauHaY (YHUH יהוה). His is a gathering influence, breaking down divisions, binding hearts together, reuniting families, making people live together in harmony, breaking down the barriers of race, healing wounds, bringing nations together, drawing men, women, and children to Himself. Victor or victim? The great question of your life and mine is: What is the essential character of your life? Is it self-centeredness or self-givingness? Are you with Christ/MessiYah YashaYaH or against him? Are you gathering with him in a healing, wholesome ministry or are you a divisive force in your family, your church, or your neighborhood? Do you split people up or bring people together? You say youre a Believer in Yah. All right. Are your children drawn closer to faith in Christ/MessiYah because of your example? Or are they turned away by the example you set? Do your children and your spouse see Christ/MessiYah YashaYaH living in you or do they see only you, your demands, your ill-temper, your pettiness, and your selfishness? These are crucial questions that each of us must answer. Our MessiYah cuts right to the core of life: Our lives are laid absolutely bare before Him and we are ultimately judged on the basis of our relationship to Him. The evidence of that relationship is the influence we exercise in our families, our church, our neighborhood, our workplace, and wherever we are involved in the lives of other people. The question you and I must ask ourselves is, Am I a victor, or a victim? In our own strength, we are helpless to escape the dominion of the evil one. We are not free. We are not able to carry out our own decisions, except in a limited area, and this illusion of freedom makes us imagine that we are free, unrestrained individuals. The Bible tells us that apart from Christ/MessiYah YashaYaH we are under the unbroken influence of an evil force that influences our thoughts and reactions. The only way of escape is through the One who has come to destroy the works of the devil. If you have not known that deliverance, you can do it now. Perhaps as you have been reading, you have had to say, If all this is true, then I am still an unbeliever. I am still under the power of Satan. In that case, the message of the gospel to you is this: In one moment of time you can pass from death into life. In one moment of commitment, trusting only Christ/MessiYah YashaYaH and His work, not in your own efforts to be good enough, you can say, Master, here am 1. Save me. The moment you pray that prayer, you pass from death into life. That is what conversion is. In those words you will open the door that allows AHaYaH HauHaY (YHUH יהוה) YashaYaH (יהושע) to accomplish His saving work in your life. Prayer Father (Abbah), may those who have been seeking answers pass now from the power of Satan into the kingdom of Eloah (God) AHaYaH HauHaY (YHUH יהוה). May they be delivered and set free. For me, AHaYaH, who has already experienced this and who knows the reality of this delivering power in my life, I pray that I may never forget that I have been set free. I ask that you continually remind me that YashaYaH (יהושע) did for me what I could never do for myself. May I have a heart filled with love for Him who loved me and gave Himself for me. In the name of YashaYaH (יהושע), who set me free, aman.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 10:39:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015