“In
Whom also we have
obtained an
INHERITANCE, being
predestinated
according to the
purpose of Him Who
worketh all things
after the counsel of
His own WILL: That
we should be to the
praise of His glory,
who first trusted in
Christ.
“In
Whom ye also
trusted, after that
ye heard the Word of
Truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in
Whom also, after
that ye believed, ye
were SEALED with
that Holy Spirit of
promise, Which is
the EARNEST of our
INHERITANCE until
the redemption of
the purchased
possession, unto the
praise of His glory.”
(Eph. 1:11-14)
“For
as many as are led
by the Spirit of
God, they are the
sons of God. For we
have not received
the spirit of
bondage again to
fear; but ye have
received the spirit
of ADOPTION, whereby
we cry, Abba,
Father.
“The
Spirit Himself
bearing witness with
our spirit, that we
are the children of
God: And if
children, then
heirs; HEIRS of God,
and JOINT HEIRS with
Christ; if so be
that we suffer with
Him, that we may
also be glorified
together.” (Rom.
8:14-17)
“For
all the promises of
God in Him are yea,
and in Him Amen,
unto the glory of
God…Who hath also
SEALED us, and given
the EARNEST of the
Spirit in our
hearts.” (2 Cor.1:
20-22)
LEGAL,
BINDING AND
UNALTERABLE
The
‘Baptism
in the Holy Spirit’,
guarantees our
eternal salvation,
providing we “continue
in the faith,
grounded and
settled, and be not
moved away from the
hope of the gospel…”
(Col.1:
22-23; John 8:31)
The
Blessed HOLY SPIRIT
is the guarantor of
our salvation. The
glorious ‘Holy
Spirit Baptism’ is
the EARNEST or ‘down
payment’ that God
give to those who
are “heirs of
eternal life”
(Heb.1: 14; James
2:5; Titus 3: 7;
Gal. 3: 29)
JESUS
made a legal,
binding and
unalterable Will
or Last Testament
before He died on
Calvary's cross,
for the sins of the
world! He included
us in His all
encompassing, yet
exclusive WILL.
Even
though Jesus Christ
died for everyone,
only those who
believe the Gospel
and receive Him as
Lord and Saviour are
included in his Last
Will and the
New Testament
in His blood!
The
Bible says:
"For God so
loved the world,
that He gave His
only begotten Son,
that whosoever
believeth in Him
should not perish,
but have everlasting
life."
(John 3:16)
JESUS’
LAST WILL and
TESTAMENT includes
all believers: “Verily,
verily, I say unto
you, He that heareth
My Word, and
believeth on Him
that sent Me, hath
everlasting life,
and shall not come
into condemnation;
but is passed from
death unto life.”
(John 5:24)
"Verily,
verily, I say unto
you, He that
believeth on Me, the
works that I do
shall he do also;
and greater works
than these shall he
do because I go into
My Father.
"And
whatsoever ye shall
ask in My name, that
will I do, that the
Father may be
glorified in the
Son. If ye shall ask
any thing in My
name, I will do it.
At that day ye shall
know that I am in My
Father, and ye in
Me, and I in
you." (John 14:
11-14, 20)
THE
CROSS: SATAN’S
TOTAL DEFEAT
Before
our Lord died on
Golgatha, He cried
out: “It
is finished.” (John
19:30)
He spoke in
the Greek language,
employing the word: ‘tetelestai’,
which is
taken from the verb ‘teleo’.
The verb ‘teleo’
has three essential
meanings:
1).“To
bring to an end,
finish or complete
something.”
2).
“To carry out,
accomplish perform,
fulfill.”
3).
“To pay what is
owed.”
When
Jesus cried, “IT
IS FINISHED!” He
was declaring our
liberty. He had
purchased our
complete and eternal
salvation through
His sufferings and
death on the cross!
The blood was
already flowing and
His victory over
Satan, death, hell
and the grave was
already assured! No
longer could Satan
rule the world with
impunity. His little
‘red wagon’ was
wrecked. His kingdom
was destroyed and
the ‘foolish
one-time archangel’
who had wanted “to
be God”, was like
“the emperor who
had no clothes”!
IT
IS FINISHED!
Redemption was an
accomplished fact!
All the Old
Testament Scriptures
concerning the
Messiah (332 in all
- 61 major
prophecies) had been
FULFILLED! And our
sin debt had been
PAID IN FULL, by the
shed blood of ‘The
Christ, the God-Man’,
the Saviour of the
world!
St.
Paul makes it so
clear: “Let this
mind be in you,
which was also in
Christ Jesus: Who,
being in the form of
God, thought it not
robbery to be equal
with God (He
was God in human
flesh): But
made Himself of no
reputation, and took
upon Him the form of
a servant, and was
made in the likeness
of men:
“And
being found in
fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself, and
became obedient unto
death, even the
death of the cross.
Wherefore God also
hath highly exalted
Him, and given Him a
name which is above
every name:
“That
at the name of
JESUS, every knee
should bow, of
things in heaven,
and things in earth
and things under the
earth; And that
every tongue should
confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the
Father.” (Phil.2:
5-11)
THE
BLOOD OF JESUS
DEFEATED SATAN
The
all-powerful blood
of Jesus Christ,
which did not die
(“saw
no corruption”
– Acts 2:31),
stripped the devil
of all authority
over every human
being who calls upon
the name of the Lord
for mercy, and
receives Jesus
Christ as his
personal Saviour!
The
Bible says: “And
ye are complete in
Him (Christ), Which
is the head of all
principality and
power:
“And
you, being dead in
your sins and the
uncircumcision of
your flesh, hath He
quickened (made
alive) together with
Him, having forgiven
you all trespasses;
“Blotting
out the handwriting
of ordinances that
was against us,
which was contrary
to us, and took it
out of the way,
nailing it to His
cross;
“And
having spoiled
principalities and
powers, He made a
show of them openly
(Satan and his demon
forces), triumphing
over them in it.”
(Col. 2:10, 12-15)
Writing
to the Hebrews, St.
Paul (Martin
Luther thought it
was Apollos) states
emphatically that
Jesus Christ not
only destroyed Satan’s
works (1 John 3:8),
but the ‘EVIL ONE’
as well:
“Forasmuch
then as the children
(that’s us) are
partakers of flesh
and blood, He (Jesus
Christ) also
Himself likewise
took part of the
same; that through
DEATH,
He might DESTROY him
that had the power
of death, that is,
the DEVIL; And
DELIVER them who
through fear of
death were all their
lifetime subject to
bondage.” (Heb.
2:14, 15)
Christ’s
Victory and Satan’s
Defeat is Our
Liberty! The Bible
says:
“And ye
shall know the
truth, and the truth
shall make you free.
If the Son therefore
shall make you free,
ye shall be free
indeed.” (John
8: 32,36)
The
Holy Spirit lets us
in on a very
important truth
concerning the works
of the devil versus
the workings of
Jesus Christ,
through the Holy
Spirit!
“The
thief cometh not,
but for to steal,
and kill, and to
destroy: I am come
that they might have
life, and that they
might have it more
abundantly.” (John
10: 10)
Who
is the THIEF that
Jesus is referring
to? The Holy Spirit
answers that
question so well:
“He that
committeth sin is of
the devil; for the
devil sinneth from
the beginning. For
this purpose the Son
of God was
manifested, that He
might destroy the
works of the devil.”
(1 John 3:8)
During
His earthly
ministry, Jesus
Christ vigorously
opposed and defeated
these enemies: sin,
fear, sickness,
death, poverty,
demons and Satan
himself!
“How
God anointed Jesus
of Nazareth with the
Holy Ghost and with
power, Who went
about doing good and
healing all who were
OPPRESSED OF THE
DEVIL, for God was
with Him.” (Acts
10: 38)
Some
people have
questioned where
sickness and disease
comes from! We know
that before the “fall
of our first parents”,
there were neither
SICKNESS nor DEATH!
With sin, came fear,
pain, sickness,
disease, death and
sorrow!
One thing we know:
The Holy Spirit
always tells the
truth. He states
unequivocally,
that all the sick
and diseased people
that Jesus healed,
were
OPPRESSED
and made SICK
by Satan!
Satan made
them all
sick, but Jesus made
them all
well! Hallelujah to
the Lamb!
“For
where a testament
is, there must also
of necessity be the
death of the
testator. For a
testament is in
force after men are
dead: otherwise it
is of no strength at
all while the
testator liveth.
“For
Christ is not
entered into the
holy places made
with hands, which
are the figures of
the true; but into
heaven itself, now
to appear in the
presence of God for
us. Nor
yet that He should
offer Himself often,
as the high priest
entereth into the
holy place every
year with blood of
others;
“For
then must He often
have suffered since
the foundation of
the world: but now
once in the end of
the world hath HE
APPEARED TO PUT AWAY
SIN BY THE SACRIFICE
OF HIMSELF.
“So
Christ was once
offered to bear the
sins of many; and
unto them that look
for Him shall He
appear the Second
Time without sin
unto salvation.”
(Hebrews 9:
12,14-18,24-28)
