Saturday, July 2, 2011

RYC, part 4

The morning large group lesson on Wednesday morning was on spiritual warfare. The main text was 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Pastor Welzien went through some of the names/descriptions of Satan from the Bible: a roaring lion seeking to devour, a fierce dragon, Destruction, the Destroyer, the prince of the power of the air, the god of this world. Even so, we’re not sentenced to live in the darkness. Satan is a deceiver and a blinder, but Christ is our light.

Galatians 3:10 and 13-14 states “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them’… Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

The righteous live by faith, only because of the work that Jesus Christ accomplished. It is the only way to overcome.

2 Corinthians 6:2 states “For he says,
‘In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Today is the day. What side are you on?

Coming up: Escaping the darkness.

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