Victory Over Sin.

Isaiah 23-24, 1 John 3

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.  – 1 John 3:8 ESV

The people of Judah were well acquainted with sin. They were guilty of it and surrounded by it. God was punishing them for their sin and rebellion against Him. He was using sinful, godless nations as His tools to bring about that punishment. Greed, corruption, gross immorality, selfishness, perversion, apathy, idolatry, and every other form of sin was evident in the lives of the people of God and among the nations of the world. But God had called His people to live holy, set apart lives. He had consecrated them for His use and called them to be His chosen people. “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6 ESV). He had provided them with the Law as an objective standard for righteous living. But He had also provided them with the sacrificial system as a means of receiving forgiveness and reconciliation for the sins they were bound to commit. The Law revealed their sin. The sacrificial system provided forgiveness for their sin. But rather than rejoice in the holiness of their God and bask in the amazing mercy and grace He offered them, they turned elsewhere. God indicted them for their unfaithfulness. “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote” (Isaiah 29:13 NLT). Like the rest of the world around them, the people of God were living in disobedience to and showing disregard for God. So God warns of the day of coming judgment. Over and over again, Isaiah uses the term, “in that day.” He warns of a coming day when God's judgment of man's sin will be complete and comprehensive. It will include all mankind and even impact the earth itself. As in the days of Noah when sin had infected the earth, God will “empty the earth and make it desolate” (Isaiah 24:1 ESV). “The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the Lord has spoken this word” (Isaiah 24:3 ESV). It will be a time of sorrow and suffering, devastation and despair. But even in the midst of the darkness, God's light will shine. He will spare a remnant who will “lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west” (Isaiah 24:14 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about God?

There is a day coming when God will deal with sin once and for all. He will wipe the earth clean from all the residual remnants of sin. Isaiah speaks of the coming day of the Lord, when Jesus Christ will appear a second time on the earth, but this time He will come as the Lord of lords and King of kings. He will come as a warrior dressed for battle to wage war with Satan and to destroy the last vestiges of sin on the earth. John reminds us that the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. The apostle Paul gives us a comprehensive list of the “works of the devil” as manifested in the lives of men and women. “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21 NLT). Jesus came to destroy those works. And when Jesus died on the cross, we're told His last words were, “‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30 ESV). Jesus' death paid for our sins. Not only that, His death made possible our justification. We stand before God the Father as sinless and righteous, because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Our sins are paid for. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 ESV). But sin still impacts our lives. We still struggle with indwelling sin. Sin surrounds us every day of our lives. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty for sin, once and for all. He finished that part of His assignment. But there is one last thing He has to do. And the day is coming when He will complete that task as well. We read about it in Revelation 19:5-6: “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.’” On that day, when “the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 24:23 ESV), Jesus will have dealt the final death blow to sin and Satan.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Sin is inevitable. Like a cancer, it continues to spread throughout the planet, infecting not only the lives of men and women, but the creation itself. Yet, as God's children – those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior – while we are far from sinless, we do have the capacity to sin less. Because of Jesus' finished work on the cross, we have the power to live righteous lives here and now. “You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5 ESV). As a result of that reality, John is able to provide us with some stunning good news.  “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9 ESV). We have a new nature. We have the Holy Spirit of God living within us. Our redeemed nature cannot and does not sin. But we do have a sin nature, and it is alive and well. Paul gives us a vivid picture of these two forces doing battle within us. “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions” (Galatians 5:16-17 NLT). As long as we live on this earth, we will face the daily reality of sin's power and presence in and around our lives. But we do have the capacity to live righteously. We do have the power available to live as children of God rather than as children of the devil. We can love. We can live sacrificially and selflessly. We don't have to sin, but far too often, we choose to. We must constantly remember that Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil in our lives – here and now. But we must also live with the hope that He is coming again, and when He comes He will eliminate sin from the earth and from our lives once and for all.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

The story of mankind's redemption is not yet finished. God's divine plan is not yet complete. There is still one more thing that must happen. His Son must return. He must judge sin and Satan one final time. He must eradicate the last vestiges of sin from the earth. He must judge sinful man. He must right all wrongs and establish His justice over all the earth. And while I live on this earth surrounded by sin and daily putting to death the sin nature in my own life, I must keep my eyes focused on the end of the story. John reminds me that this world is not all there is. “And this is the promise that he has made to us – eternal life” (1 John 2:25 ESV). I must live with that promise in mind.

Father, it is finished, but it is not yet done. Jesus has paid the penalty for sin, but He has yet to destroy it from the planet. It is evident all around us. I can see it's influence in my own life. But the day is coming when sin will be no more. The day is coming when death, disease, sorrow, pain, hatred, greed, selfishness, and every other manifestation of sin in the world will be completely eliminated and Your Son will say, “It is done!” I look forward to that day. Give me the strength to live in light of that day and in the power of Your Spirit until it comes. Amen

No King In Israel.

Judges 17-18, Acts 26

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. ­– Judges 17:6 ESV

Two times in these two chapters of Judges we find the statement, “In those days there was no king in Israel” (Judges 18:1 ESV). It is a statement of fact, signifying that Israel had no earthly king, but it is also a sad indication of something even more important. Israel had refused to acknowledge God as their King. So everyone did what was right in his own eyes. While God had clearly given His people standards for living and rules for life in His Kingdom, they chose to ignore His laws and establish their own. The story of Micah is sad reflection of the times. You have a son who clearly violated the commands of God by not only stealing, but doing so from his own mother, dishonoring her in the process. And when he confesses and returns the stolen silver to his mother, she has him create household idols out of it. You see in this story the influence of the pagan cultures that surrounded the Israelites. They had failed to remove the various nations from the land and therefore, they had left themselves susceptible not only to their physical attack, but their religious influence. The Israelites practiced a kind of syncretism, that blended their own religion with those of the nations around them. They attempted to maintain some form of worship of God, but blended it with the worship of others gods as well. It was a form of hedging their bets, making sure that they didn't leave out any potential god who might be able to assist them as they attempted to survive in what was still a hostile environment. But they failed to remember that God is a jealous God who refuses to share His glory with anyone or anything. He had explicitly prohibited the worship of idols. But the people of Israel refused to obey. Because they refused to see God as their King and ruler. They felt no obligation to obey His commands, deciding instead to do what was right in their own eyes. So Micah built a shrine, created idols, made an ephod, and ordained his own priest. All in direct violation of God's commands. He even bribed a Levite to become his personal priest. Then the tribe of Dan stole all of these things away from Micah, creating their own place of worship and encouraging the people of Israel to live in defiance to the commands of God. “And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. So they set up Micah's carved image that hemade, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh” (Judges 18:30-31 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about God?

Apostasy is defined as “a total desertion of or departure from one's religion, principles, party, or cause.” And while it might be argued that the people of Israel never fully deserted God, it is clear from these two chapters that they had decided that God alone was not enough. The Danites, who had refused the fully conquer the land given to them by Moses, were still in search for a place to settle. So they sent out spies to search for a possible alternative. When they came across Micah, his idols, ephod, shrine and personal priest, they didn't think twice about stealing them all and making them their own. They had no second thoughts about incorporating Micah's false gods and fake priest into their religious system. And yet, they asked Micah's priest to seek God's will in their search for a homeland. All throughout this story, the people of Dan assumed that God was on their side, even though they had refused to be obedient to His law and His will for their lives. They were doing what was right in their own eyes, but they still expected God to do what they wanted Him to do. God had become little more than a talisman or good luck charm, much like Micah's priest, idols, ephod and shrine. There was no king in Israel – either human or divine. There was no true leadership. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. And that trend would continue for generations. Even by the time Paul came along and the Gospel was beginning to spread throughout the world, there was still no king in Israel. Agrippa was the de facto king of Israel, but he was not a descendant of David. His rule was made possible by Rome, not God. So while he ruled over portions of the nation of Israel, he was not the recognized king of Israel. And yet, neither was God. In Paul's defense before Agrippa, he stated, “I stand here today testifying to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23 ESV). Paul made it clear that Jesus was the fulfillment of all that Moses and the prophets had predicted. Jesus was God's Son and the Savior of the world. But Agrippa, Festus, the Jewish religious leaders and most of the Jewish people refused to accept Jesus as Lord because they had refused to acknowledge God as King. There was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. But whether they were willing to admit it or not, God was King. He was in complete control. He was still on His throne, enacting His will upon the people of Israel and the nations of the world. God was in control of Paul's life, the circumstances which surrounded him, and all the rulers who reigned – from Caesarea to Rome. God was King, but the people refused to acknowledge Him as such, choosing instead to do what was right in their own eyes.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Self-rule has always been one of man's greatest problem. We can't stand to be told what to do. We want to run our own lives and we resist any attempt to be controlled or ruled by someone or something else. There is within every man the innate desire for self-rule. We want to call the shots. We want to dictate the terms of our life. But God has made it clear that He alone is God. There is no other. He will not share His authority or His glory with any man. Even King David served as God's emissary or ambassador. He did not replace God, but ruled on His behalf. He was God's human representative, responsible for the care and protection of His people and His kingdom. It was when the kings of Israel lost sight of their God-given authority that they began to get in trouble. When they began to see themselves as the sole authority and arbiter of Israel's fate, they wandered into dangerous territory. Even during the period of the kings, it could be said, “There was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Why? Because God was always to have been their King. Human kings who failed to recognize God as the ultimate King would never truly rule and reign with authority or power. When we attempt take authority that belongs to God alone and make it our own, we tread on dangerous ground. When we try and assert our authority and run our own lives, we are acting as if there is no King. We are making ourselves king. And the result is that we always end up doing what is right in our own eyes. A sure recipe for disaster.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

There is always the temptation for me to do what is right in my own eyes. I can so easily convince myself that I know what is best. Self-rule is attractive and alluring. But it is dangerous and deadly. God never intended for men to rule themselves. He is King. He is Lord. He is the sovereign ruler over all that He has made and while He may occasionally share that authority with a human king, God never abdicates His right to rule and reign over His creation. I must constantly remind myself that God is the King of all, including my life. I am not free to do what is right in my own eyes. I cannot reject the rule of God and replace it with my own agenda. I am not free to rule and reign over my own life or create my own little kingdom here on earth. That is what got Micah in trouble. That is what led the Danites to set up their own gods, their own religious and their own place of worship, all in direct violation of the commands of God. Running my own life may sound appealing and appear attractive, but it is deceptively deadly. Acknowledging God as King and His Son as Lord and Savior is essential. But we will always struggle with the temptation to reject His rule and replace it with our own. But men tend to make lousy kings. But the day is coming when God will establish His Son as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He will take His place on the throne of David and reign from the city of Jerusalem, bringing the authority and righteous rule of God to earth. He will be the King God promised long ago. Any attempt by man to rule in His place will fail. Any effort to replace His rightful place as King will always end in disaster. Self-rule is ultimately always self-destructive.

Father, I want to learn to acknowledge You as the sovereign ruler over my life. I want to submit to Your righteous reign over all that there is. Forgive me for attempting to run my own life and set up my own petty kingdom here on earth with myself as king. I make a lousy king. But You have proven Yourself worthy to rule and reign over all. Help me submit to Your Kingship each and every day of my life. Amen