Sometimes I am wrong.

I’ll give you a moment to recover.

I only recently became aware of Plan B (aka Ben Drew) with his single ‘She Said‘, and I think  my words at that time were most unfavourable. However, it is ‘a grower’ and I’ve come to appreciate his vocal stylings much more.

The other morning whilst listening to the radio on my short journey to work I heard Plan B’s latest effort and was blown away. The sound seems to be heavily inspired by Motown – a trend that appears to be growing – and this alone earns massive bonus points with me (and that, after all, is what musicians and artists should be most concerned with…).

Motown aside, Drew’s lyrics are what really captured my attention and the video only helps to add to the effect (with the exception of some  inexplicable and awkward-looking West Side Story moves around the 3:42 mark).

The song tells the story of a young lad in prison who finds himself cornered by two would-be attackers. He strikes one and kills him, and a stranger strikes the other to protect him. As fear grips the protagonist, the stranger tells him to run away and let him take the blame for both deaths.

So he does.

However, finding himself wracked with guilt he prays to God for forgiveness, for a removal of guilt and blame.

The whole song is impressive in spiritual concern, yet the line that struck me most is delivered as the young lad realises that what he has done needs to be squared with God before he meets his end:

“We got some dealings to do before the day I’m dead”

I’ve never murdered anyone. Not even a bit of manslaughter. Yet I still feel the weight of the things that I’ve done wrong – my sin. I think most people do. The fear that we may actually be called to account for all that we have done – even the things that no one else knows about – pervades all humanity.

Our response can be much like Plan B’s prisoner; we think that we will be able to cut a deal with God. Perhaps we could buy him off with all the good things we have done, or maybe we could convince him that we’re not really to blame.

It won’t work! Jesus said that the world stands condemned. Every last one of us (John 3:18). That sounds depressing (and in truth, it should concern you), but the good news is that Jesus offers rescue to the condemned.

In the song, a random prisoner takes the protagonist’s place. He takes the blame. For those of you familiar with church language, that might sound a bit like what Jesus did. Well, almost, but not quite. I’d like to offer three differences:

1. The stranger in the song takes the blame because he already has a long life sentence hanging over him anyway and was, in part, to blame for the deaths. Jesus, on the other hand, was guilty of no sin or wrongdoing (Hebrews 4:15). This is possible only because Jesus is fully God as well as fully man.

2. The stranger takes the punishment for the lad’s attack on a third party. All sin is actually sin against God (as David proclaims in Psalm 51:4), and at the cross we see God, the offended party, taking the punishment for sin.

3. The stranger’s kindness is not effective. The man still feels his shame, despite being urged by the stranger to “Go right now, don’t feel ashamed”. In contrast, Jesus acts as both judge and justifier when speaks to a woman caught in adultery, telling her “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:11).

Whatever we attempt in order to ease our guilt, there is only one solution: Jesus.

Jesus death and resurrection is effective. For those who believe, he offers forgiveness and freedom from sin, guilt, and condemnation.

I think that often we like the idea of either being part of something that will last, that will leave a mark in history, or at least witnessing something that will endure through the ages. How many people would love to be able to say in years to come “I witnessed Rooney’s last minute decider in the 2010 World Cup Final!”?

We long for something that will break out of this temporally-constrained existence.

Jesus stands apart from all these other things that we seek. He is the beginning of all history (John 1:1-2), the purpose of all history (Colossians 1:16), and He will be the end and focus of all history (Revelation 22:13).

All these other things that we focus so much of our attention and time on will fade, but Jesus will remain always.

It just about equals another favourite of mine, this wedding entrance in America:

We’ve enjoyed a couple of marriages at Firwood Church over the past 6 months. I’m not really what might be termed ’sensitive’ (indeed, I am often mocked for my iron heart), but I have loved sharing in these days immensely.

The joining of two people together in marriage is a glorious thing to witness. Not just because it’s nice to see two people that love each other committing themselves to each other for life, but also because God gives us marriage so that we can see something of the love that Jesus has for His Church. Speaking of marriage in Ephesians 5:25-32, Pauls states that the profound mystery is this: when God instituted marriage in creation (as described in Genesis 2) he intended to display Christ’s love for his Bride, the Church.

Know this: as a husband is called to cherish his wife, so Christ Jesus cherishes you, His Church.

]]> http://www.firwoodchurch.com/blog/a-profound-proposal/feed/ 3 http://www.firwoodchurch.com/blog/the-dead-live/ http://www.firwoodchurch.com/blog/the-dead-live/#comments Sat, 05 Jun 2010 12:58:19 +0000 Phill Marsh http://www.firwoodchurch.com/?p=3726 A couple of weeks ago marked the 30th anniversary of the explosion of Mount St. Helens in Washington State on the 18th May 1980. Around that time, I came across a collection of extraordinary photographs taken around that date. Each photo was incredible, but I found the following image to be particularly striking:

This photo shows a campervan found 8 miles from the erruption. It’s two occupants were found dead. The marks that you can see  near to and around the van are those of a helicopter’s landing skids and the footprints of its on-board searcher. Presumably, the would-be rescuer landed, looked in the van, saw two corpses and decided to continue in his search for those who were still alive; those he could do something for, whom he could save. It is a truly sad, hopeless photograph.

The Bible says that God found me in this state.

Dead.

Utterly lifeless.

I thank God that he did not just look sadly upon me, seeing my life as a tragic waste, and then move on, impotent, powerless to act.

I thank God that He is the One who ‘gives life to the dead, and calls into existence the things that do not exist‘ (Romans 4:17).

God spoke life into my dead soul with the same power, the same irresistable authority, with which he spoke all Creation into existence.

Salvation is the supernatural intervention of God in which dead people are made alive. I thank God that, because of Jesus, the dead live.

]]> http://www.firwoodchurch.com/blog/the-dead-live/feed/ 1 http://www.firwoodchurch.com/blog/reflections-on-the-scandal-chapter-5-doubting-the-resurrection-of-jesus/ http://www.firwoodchurch.com/blog/reflections-on-the-scandal-chapter-5-doubting-the-resurrection-of-jesus/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:08:31 +0000 Phill Marsh http://www.firwoodchurch.com/?p=3503

A while ago my Dad told my Mum that he had booked a holiday for them both, but that the location was a secret. My Mum pestered him for days on end to push him to reveal this secret destination. When he finally gave in and told her, she then became disgruntled because he had spoiled the surprise…

I wondered whether to spoil the surprise today. It is Good Friday, the day when we remember Jesus’ horrific death upon the cross, and yet the final chapter of Carson’s Scandalous focuses squarely on His resurrection. I wondered whether to wait and post this final blog post on Easter Sunday instead, but as you have probably figured out already, I decided against that.

I decided to opt for posting today for two reasons. The first was that I doubt that for many of you it will be a surprise to hear that Jesus rose from the dead (though praise God if that is the first time you have heard it!). The second reason however was that the resurrection of Jesus is not a separate event to his crucifixion. True, He was raised on the third day after His crucifixion and so in a temporal sense they can be seen as separate, but in the Bible, Jesus death is constantly inextricably linked with His resurrection.

Indeed, in this chapter focusing on the account of Thomas’ doubt in John 20:24-31, Carson paraphrases Paul’s words to the Corinthians (Corinthians 15:12-19) to describe the importance of resurrection of Christ:

“If Jesus has not risen from the dead, while you believe that he has risen from the dead, then your faith in Jesus’ resurrection is futile; it is worthless”

Amazingly, Jesus’ death alone on Good Friday is not enough in and of itself. It is Jesus’ death and resurrection in which we are to hope.

Thomas knew that Jesus had died. He knew what kind of man Jesus was. He saw him teach with authority like no one else. He saw him heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead. Yet in Jesus’ resurrection body, Thomas saw the vindication of Christ by His Father. As Carson puts it, Thomas hadn’t been gullible. Jesus was who he said He was, and he proved it with His resurrection.

Thomas responds with perhaps one of the most powerful lines of scripture:

“My Lord and My God” John 20:28

I really felt that Carson portrayed Thomas fairly in this chapter. I always thought it harsh that all Thomas ever seemed to be remembered for was his doubt, earning him the nickname of ‘Doubting Thomas’. We don’t often hear people refer to ‘Murderous Paul’ or ‘Peter the Abandoner’. Carson points to the week between Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples without Thomas and his second whilst Thomas was present. What must have been going on in Thomas’ head during this week as he went over all that he had seen and heard? Could it all be true?

Jesus appears to Thomas, and it all falls into place: Jesus is God, without a doubt (if you’ll forgive the pun).

What stood out to me most in this chapter (though as each person has said this week, there is so much more that you really must get a hold of a copy of the book and read it for yourself), was Carson’s dealing with verse 29:

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

Carson argues that this verse has been misused to somehow elevate the faith of later Christians (who didn’t see the resurrected Jesus) above that of Thomas, supposedly because he had so little faith that he needed to see it to believe it. Instead, Carson puts forward the idea that in fact, Jesus calls those who have not seen Him blessed, because they are blessed with the firsthand account of a man (and men) who has.

The skeptic becomes the witness; the evidence.

As Carson puts it:

“John immediately goes on to say that Jesus did many miraculous signs, and of course they could not all be written down for us. But these are written, the ones  in John’s Gospel, including the appearance to Thomas, in order that the later generations who will never see the signs, who will not in this life see the resurrected body of  Jesus, might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing they might have life through his name.”

Thank  God for the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thank God that we can trust in Him and have life through His name. Thank God for the Scriptures that we have that testify to this. His Word is Truth (John 17:17).

A friend of mine posted a status on facebook today that I thought was worth sharing:

“It’s Friday – but don’t despair; Sunday is coming. This is and always was plan A.”

Today we mourn the fact that the cost of our forgiveness from our sin and rebellion was the death of the Creator. Yet we celebrate, because in His resurrection there is life for those who believe.

God is good.

**This is the final entry in a series of posts that took place during Holy Week 2010, recording various Firwood members’ reflections upon each chapter of Carson’s book ‘Scandalous- The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus’. For more information, click here**

Chapter 4 of Carson’s ‘Scandalous’ is entitled A Miracle Full of Surprises. This is no understatement; the miracle in question is surprisingly surprising. After reading Carson unpack it, I realised how limited my understanding had been.

As a side note, I would encourage people to never merely skim read the Gospels on the assumption that they know it all; the truth is that as Caroline said in her review, there’s always so much more.

So, the chapter is built around the miracle that Jesus performed in bringing Lazarus back from the dead after four days. There are four suprising things that Carson unfolds about this miracle:

1) Jesus receives a desperate plea for help and demonstrates his love by delay.

2) Jesus comes up against devastating loss and consoles grief by directing attention to Himself.

3) Jesus confronts implacable death and displays his sovereignty over it in tears and outrage.

4) Jesus comes up against moral and spiritual death and gives life by dying himself.

There so much in all 4 to talk about however the first 2 really struck me today.

1) Many times in my life I’ve heard the quote “The Lord works in mysterious ways” spoken all too often as a platitude. However, there is truth in this. Mary and Martha come to Jesus with news that Lazarus has fallen ill, an illness that in the end would most certainly kill him. Carson puts emphasises Jesus’ deep love for Mary, Martha and Lazarus whilst pointing to the surprising statement that it is because of this love he doesn’t do anything for two days. Carson asks the question “Still why the delay? He waited 2 days…”.

How many times do we question Jesus on His timing? In fact Carson will say we are like “little children” who want things “NOW! NOW! NOW!”. I am arguably the most impatient person on the planet; I need things now! I expect God to do things on my terms and I’m sure something like this was going through the minds of Mary and Martha. Yet Jesus stays right where He is, knowing that Mary and Martha need to learn to trust Him. Carson then quotes Romans 5:3-5 to illustrate the fact we must endure such times in order to receive what God has for us and what is best for us.

2) So Jesus came to Mary and Martha four days after hearing about the death of Lazarus, and it’s no surprise that he finds them lamenting and mourning His death. The ‘suprising’ thing of which Jesus speaks should be, I believe, not at all  suprising. Carson shows Jesus pointing to Himself. Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life”. He says this in response to Martha’s declaration that there will be a resurrection on the last day. Carson points to the amazing fact that Jesus wants her to know more than that; That it is He who is the resurrection! I could spend a lot of time just re-writing what Carson put, but i couldn’t live up to that! – have a read yourself!

The thing that hit me was that when suffering comes our way as Christians, when we lose a loved one, or a loved one becomes sick, or we ourselves become sick or even just suffer in general. Remembering who Jesus actually is should be the most remarkable relief known to the believer. Knowing that He Himself IS our resurrection and life.

Carson says,

“In our deepest loss, we need more than friendship and a listening ear, though they are wonderfull. We need more than mere arguments – though in some cases good arguments stabilise us. We need the reality of God himself. God as He has spectacularly and definitively disclosed himself to us in the person of his Son. He will require of us that we focus our attention on Him, both for this life and the one to come.”

Its important we find our comfort in Him and comfort people with Him.

Andy

********************************************

In this chapter, Carson deals with the resurrection of Lazarus by focusing on the four key points that Andy has mentioned above.

In the first point, Carson expounds upon Jesus’ decision to wait two days before setting off to see Lazarus, after Mary and Martha came to him with the news that their brother was ill.

Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” John 11:14-15

Carson says, “In short, by his delay, Jesus demonstrates his love by guaranteeing that when he arrives there, not only is Lazarus dead (which he would have been even if Jesus had set out immediately), but he has been dead such a long time that when he performs the miracle, it is deeply significant”.

In his second point, Carson tells of when Martha comes to meet Jesus on the road as he is on his way to Lazarus.

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” John 11:21-22

Jesus replies to this by directing the attention to Himself, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Carson says “in short, he asks her if she can trust him as the resurrection and the life. He diverts attention from her grief to his own transcendent claims. If she answers positively, then the raising of Lazarus itself becomes a kind of acted parable of the life-giving power of Jesus”.

One of the main things that stuck out to me whilst reading this chapter was the delay that Jesus took in going to see Lazarus. That it was for a particular reason that other people didn’t fully understand at the time. A lot of the time, when we pray for something but nothing seems to happen for a while, we can get really frustrated and start wondering why God isn’t doing anything. In this story, we see that although Jesus took His time in going, He knew exactly what He was doing and why He was staying there for another two days. I think this really shows that we often don’t know or understand why God does things the way he does, but we should trust Him because He knows best, not us.

Ria.

**This post is part of a series of posts that will take place this week, recording various Firwood members’ reflections upon each chapter of Carson’s book ‘Scandalous- The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus’. For more information, click here**

I am constantly amazed by the fact that no matter how many times I read the accounts of the cross or a new book on the subject of the cross, God continues to reveal more of Himself to me. As someone who has been a Christian for a number of years I know I can sometimes be flippant about the cross and take it for granted, as if I already know all there is to know about it. How wrong can one person be?

D.A.Carson’s focus for the second chapter of ‘Scandalous’ is Romans 3:21-26;

‘But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.’ (ESV)

Immediately preceding this passage, Paul sets out the problem; we are sinners and God’s wrath is against us. Carson puts it this way; ‘it is idolatry, which means that instead of wanting God, you want the thing, which de-gods God.‘ Carson also points out; ‘if someone were suddenly to hold up a picture of your graduating class from high school or college and say “This is your graduating class,” which face do you look for first – just to make sure it is there?…or if you have an argument….and then replay that argument in your mind – who wins?’

These examples really struck me as true – this is exactly what I would do! I do want things more than God. I do make myself the centre of the universe. I am always de-godding God.

So what is the solution to the problem? How can I become righteous and just before a holy God?

Carson points out four things:

1) Paul establishes the relationship of God’s righteousness in Christ to the Old Testament’s law covenant (Romans 3:21)

2) Paul establishes the availability of God’s righteousness for all human beings, without ethnic distinction but on condition of faith (Romans 3:22-23)

3) Paul establishes the source of God’s righteousness in the gracious provision of Christ Jesus for the propitiation of our sins (Romans 3:24-25a)

4) Paul establishes that God’s justice, His righteousness, is demonstrated through the cross of Christ (Romans 3: 25b-26)

The first thing that struck me was the concept of righteousness for all in point 2. I have heard this so many times before, but I have never thought of it so deeply.

‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:22a)

I will always fall short of giving God the glory He deserves because I make myself the centre of the universe instead of God. Because I have sinned I need God’s righteousness. Because all have sinned, all need God’s righteousness.

The second thing that struck me was that God sent His Son to die for us. How many times have I heard this? How many times have I quoted John 3:16? I now realise that there is so much more in these few words. Carson explains that God sends Jesus to turn aside His own wrath. It is God who is offended by sin, it is God who must be against sin, yet it is God who provides the solution for sin. God provides the propitiation for Himself.

‘His justice is satisfied in Jesus’ propitiatory sacrifice so that all may see that sin deserves the punishment that He Himself has imposed and the punishment has been meted out. This vindicates God so that He Himself is seen to be just, as well as the one who justifies the ungodly. Justification is first and foremost about the vindication of God. God simultaneously preserves His justice while justifying the ungodly. That is the heart of the gospel.’

Wow! For me, this Easter will now take on a deeper meaning as I grasp the true significance of the cross and truly realise just how much God has done for me.

Caroline.

**This post is part of a series of posts that will take place this week, recording various Firwood members’ reflections upon each chapter of Carson’s book ‘Scandalous- The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus’. For more information, click here**

Irony is what separates us from the animals (and the Americans). Okay, there may be a few other things too, but I love irony. It’s why I chuckled with glee when the unfortunately timed photo to the right was released following protests in London.

It’s also why I was eager to begin reading the first chapter of D.A. Carson’s ‘Scandalous – The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus’ today. The first chapter centres around Matthew 27:27-51a, and is entitled ‘The Ironies of the Cross’. In it, Carson picks out the irony of four separate statements made in the passage by those surrounding Jesus during His trial and execution.

The four ironies that Carson points to are:

• The man who is mocked as King is the King

• The man who is utterly powerless is powerful

• The Man Who can’t save himself saves others

• The man who cries out in despair trusts God.

I won’t rewrite the chapter here, partly because I am not a fan of being sued for copyright infringement, but also because I would probably do the book an injustice. However, as I read the account in Matthews gospel, followed by Carson’s masterful highlighting of unintentionally ironic Roman and Jewish declarations of Jesus’ kingship, power, salvific capability and deep trust in His Father, two things stood out to me.

The first was that God does not think like me. Never in a million years would I come up with the idea that salvation, strength, power, love, and all that is good could be so vividly and completely portrayed in so vile a moment as an execution. Yet in Jesus’ death we see all this and more.

In one terrible moment that seems to show weakness and failure, Jesus accomplishes all that is required for the forgiveness of sins, the solution to the human condition, the abolition of death, the securing of an eternal future for God’s people, His own glorification and more than I have space to write about here.

God’s ways are not my ways, and they are infinitely above my own (Isaiah 55:8).

The second thing that stood out to me was God’s complete control over all things, all history, and over every moment of Jesus’ crucifixion. It was always God’s plan to send Jesus to die for the forgiveness of sins – it wasn’t as if God was just trying to make the best out of a bad situation. In Matthews account, we see that those who think they are able to do away with Jesus are in fact taking part in the act that will see Him lifted up and glorified and His people saved, according to the eternal, unchanging plan of God.

Their very mouths speak words that they intend for derision, but that God intended, before the very foundation of the world, to speak the truth about His Son.

God’s ways are not my ways. He does things that I can never fathom. But he is in complete control, and all things will work out just as he planned, and all things will work out for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Phill.

**This post is part of a series of posts that will take place this week, recording various Firwood members’ reflections upon each chapter of Carson’s book ‘Scandalous- The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus’. For more information, click here**

Palm Sunday marked the beginning of Holy Week; the week leading up to Good Friday (when we remember Christ’s death on the cross), and Easter Sunday (when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and victory over sin and death).

This year, to guide our thoughts and meditations in the build up to Easter, a number of friends and I have decided to spend time each day reading through a chapter of D.A. Carson’s book ‘Scandalous – The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus’. Each of the five relatively short chapters focusses on a different passage from the Bible and examines what can be said of this, the focal point of all history: the death and resurrection of the God-Man, Jesus Christ.

Each day this week, a different person from the Church will make a short blog post here, offering their reflections upon that day’s chapter. If you desire to join in with the reading, the book can be purchased here. However, if not, I hope that you find these coming posts helpful in drawing your thoughts towards the crucified and risen King this week.

Please also feel free to add your thoughts each day in the comments section for each blog post.

• You can read thoughts on the first chapter here
• You can read thoughts on the second chapter here
• You can read thoughts on the third chapter here
• You can read thoughts on the fourth chapter here
• You can read thoughts on the fifth chapter here

Phill.

As possibly the clumsiest person alive, I have destroyed many things in my (arguably) short time upon this earth; my Mum’s favourite glass horse from Venice’s finest glass blowers; The interior of my family’s Citroen 2CV Dolly with the help of a stomach bug, numerous Kraft cheese slices and a carton of apple juice; The lab results of all of my fellow students at university during one particular practical early in the year. All these casualties and more lie in the wake of my clumsy, accident-prone life.

Often we hear the word ‘destroy’ as a negative term; a word that conjures up images of brokenness, desolation and devastation. We see the word used this way in the Bible. Jesus speaks of the Devil who comes to kill and destroy as opposed to the Son, who brings life (John 10:10).

However, Jesus also brought destruction. Last Sunday, in the third of our Christmas series entitled ‘Christ Came’, we read from 1 John 3:7-10, particularly focussing on verse 8:

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the Devil.”

Jesus brought destruction for the works of the Devil, but what are the works that John speaks of here? John tells us that the Devil has been sinning from the beginning (1 John 3:8). Since the point of his first rebellion against God, his desire has been to foster sin in the human race. Satan is present in the Garden of Eden in the third chapter of Genesis, inviting Adam and Eve to step into rebellion with Him, and ever since he has worked to keep us wrapped up in sin and separate from God.

He does so in a number of ways:

1. Satan perverts the image of God

In the Garden of Eden, Satan asks of Eve “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1).

God did not.

In fact, God had said that Adam and Eve could eat from every tree in the Garden except one (Genesis 2:16-17).

Satan took the truthful image of a loving and providing Creator, and perverted it into the image of a cruel, selfish and power-mad liar.

The perverted image of God surrounds us these days: God is cruel, or distant, or vindictive, or uncaring, or absent, or unfazed by sin, forgiving all regardless of repentance or faith. All of these take some aspect of the Father and twist it into a representation of something entirely other than God.

It was almost enough to convince Adam and Eve to eat. Satan used another method to ensure that they would:

2. Satan lies

God told Adam that if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would surely die.

Satan told them ‘You surely won’t’ (Genesis 3:4).

We are told that there is no God, that there is no consequence for the lives we live. Similarly, we are told that there is no higher purpose and now is all we have so we should live to please ourselves.

Adam and Eve were buried long ago. Satan lies.

3. Satan blinds

I am amazed, and humbled, when I read accounts in the Gospels of Jesus healing many in front of eyewitnesses who ultimately reject Him and even move to murder Him. How can this be? How can people today see the power of God at work in the lives of many and yet remain unconvinced, even hostile? In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul speaks of the Devil blinding the minds of unbelievers. If they cannot see it, they cannot respond to it.

4. Satan Accuses

In Revelation 12:10 we get a picture of the Devil as our accuser. Not only does he work to bring sin into our lives, but he then stands before the Father and points to it, demanding judgement from a Holy God. It is one area in which Satan has no need to use lies. We all have sinned and fallen short… (Romans 3:23), and, therefore, we all deserve judgement.

Christ came to destroy these works.

1. Where Satan perverts the image of God, Jesus IS the image of God

Jesus, God in the flesh, is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). He is the exact representation of God’s being (Hebrews 1:3). In his incarnation (his taking on flesh), Jesus allowed us to see and understand God in terms that we could begin to comprehend. When we are unsure of what God is like, who He is, what his attributes are, we need look no further than Jesus to see Him clearly.

2. Where Satan lies, Jesus says ‘I am the truth’

Jesus declared in John 14:6 “I am the truth” and continues to declare in John 17:7 whilst praying to His Father, “Your word is truth”. Thank God that we have the Bible. In it, we can read in the Gospels not only the words of Jesus spoken whilst on earth, but also know that every page bears the very word of God. If your desire is to know truth, God has given you Jesus and the scriptures which testify of Him that you might know.

3. Where Satan blinds, Jesus opens eyes

At Paul’s conversion, Jesus explains his plan for Paul. He will go to the Jews and Gentiles and Jesus will open their eyes to the salvation He offers, transferring them from darkness into the light. All those of us who are Christians were once blind. All those who are blind can have their eyes opened by Jesus.

4. Where Satan accuses, Jesus is our advocate

In possibly two of the greatest passages in scripture, we read:

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1

and

“For our sake he made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

When Satan points to Christians to accuse us of sin, he points at righteous people. Not only are we forgiven for the things we have done wrong, but all those things are transferred onto Jesus and we receive his righteousness. Jesus defends our corner, declaring us to be holy in the face of Satan’s accusations. Jesus has the scars to prove it.

It is at this point that we see the fuller picture of Jesus ‘destroying’ the work of the devil. The word John uses for ‘destroy’ (lyō ) can also be translated ‘undo’.

Not only did Jesus destroy the devil’s work in using sin to separate us from God, but he undoes the damage that has been wrought. John talks about us being children of God who cannot continue sinning. Paul writes:

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Titus 2:11-14

Jesus transforms our desires and actions from those of a people focussed on sin, to those of a people who desire righteousness. John points to these as evidence of (not earning) our salvation, inviting us to question whether these are evident in our lives. If not, the invitation from Jesus is to repent, to make Him Lord, and to receive all that He offers.

Thank God that Christ came to destroy and undo the works of the Devil.