Category: Power

Posted on

It Is Finished!

Jesus came to redeem you and me from a lost and sinful life.  His death on the cross, and His final breath sealed our fate (if you will) as He raised His voice and shouted…”It is finished!”

“There’s a line that’s been drawn through the ages, on that line stands the old rugged cross;

line in the sand...1

On that cross a battle is raging, for the gain of man’s soul or his loss.
On one side march the forces of evil, all the demons and devils of hell:
On the other the angels of glory, and they meet on Golgotha’s hill.
The earth shakes with the force of the conflict, and the sun refuses to shine;
For there hangs God’s Son in the balance, and then through the darkness He cries:

‘It is finished!’ The battle is over, it is finished, there’ll be no more war;
It is finished, the end of the conflict, it is finished and Jesus is Lord.

In my heart the battle was raging, not all prisoner’s of war have come home:
They were battle fields of my own making, didn’t know that the war had been won.
Then I heard that the King of the Ages had fought all the battle for me:
And the victory was mine for the claiming, and now, praise His name I am free!

“It is finished!”

This spiritual song was written less than 50 years ago (in 1976) and speaks toward our struggle in this life.  We struggle (battle) against the rulers, the powers and the forces of darkness.  See Ephesians 6:12…Our fight is not against each other.  We don’t compete man to man.  We are not in a ‘hand-to-hand’ combat zone.  Ladies and gentlemen,our adversary is unseen and he (Satan) is behind our struggles.

We sing the song, “Lord, make us instruments of Your peace…” and rightly so.  Our desire is to spread the gospel of peace to a lost and dying world.  Wouldn’t it make sense that Satan is doing the same?  You don’t need to look past the 6:00 o’clock news to see that his minions are carrying out the work of evil.  Sadly, they often do this work unknowingly serving the prince of this world (John 12:31).

Armor Of GodSo how do I ‘fight’ and unseen foe?  With what shall I arm myself before I step onto the battle field against the ‘prince of this world?’  A soldier would be soundly defeated if he walked into battle with only a single-shot, short range pistol. (unless his name was David and his opponent was 9 foot tall.)  Any warrior knows that he must be properly prepared to face his enemy (and David WAS well prepared).  Without the proper tools he’d surely fail.  So what do I ‘put on?’  Stay with Ephesians 6 and you’ll read the answer; the complete armor of God.  Know in your heart the victory has been won and fight with faith (there’s a song about that too).  As our lead song states in its final verse, ‘…and the victory was mine for the claiming…’.  By faith I hope you will claim the victory, because Jesus said it loud and clear, “It is finished!”

Posted on

Awesome Power

The following is from my friend from Flagler, Colorado.  Terry Harmon is not only a good friend, he’s a great servant in the kingdom.  He has worked as a missionary in Poland, Russia, and most recently the Ukraine.  Currently he serves as the pulpit minister for the Lord’s church in Colorado…Lighting-Storm-Texas_large

There is something about lightning that can attract my attention for long periods of time. The other day we were sitting at the Food Panty (Benevolence House) and a pretty good storm moved in, lightning included.  While we didn’t take too many chances, it was interesting as always, standing out watching the great strokes of lightning flash across the sky.  Last year about this time (summer, 2011), Timothy and I recorded one of the most awesome lightning storms I have ever seen.  It literally raged on for a couple of hours.

Lightning is a force that is so interesting to watch, yet it is so powerful…even deadly.  Currently (summer, 2012) there is a massive fire going in the Colorado mountains called, High Park.  It has destroyed some 60,000 acres of forest.  What caused this fire?  Fire fighters have pinpointed the very tree that a lightning strike hit, sparking this fire.  We feel sympathetic toward those who have lost their homes and hope that this can be contained soon. Standing out in a rain storm can also prove deadly, as lightning hits a few individuals each year, taking lives.  {The High Park fire, a forest fire in the mountains west of Fort Collins in Larimer County, was caused by a lightning strike and was first detected on the morning of June 9, 2012. A 62-year-old woman was killed in the fire. This fire burned over 87,250 acres (136 square miles), making it the second-largest fire in recorded Colorado history by area burned.  It destroyed at least 259 homes. The High Park fire was declared 100 percent contained on June 30, 2012, and all related evacuation orders were ended.}

Daniel was a man who saw things that most on this earth will never see.  And in the book of Daniel, chapter 10, verses 5 and 6 we read, “I lifted up my eyes and looked and behold there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz.  His body was like beryl, His face had the appearance of lightning, His eyes were like flaming torches, His arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of His words like the sound of a tumult.” This is a description of Jesus in the Old Testament and what a sight it must have been to Daniel.  In Revelation 1:13-16, we encounter Jesus again in a similar description, but this time written by the Apostle John.  The text reads, “…and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a Son of Man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in it’s strength.”

Think about the words and the description of Jesus in both places.  It is incredible and Jesus is seen as AWESOME!  Both descriptions paint a vivid picture that Jesus is so powerful when one looks upon Him, which should cause us to understand (and appreciate) our Lord who we serve even better.  It is mind boggling to think about this…Jesus has the power to change a person’s life unto salvation, but also has the power to send one to hell for eternity.  Despite all of His power, He doesn’t want to lose one person, which is the reason our Savior came to earth to suffer and die for mankind.  Still, each individual must come to the recognition that Jesus is Lord and must give himself to Him before our time on earth runs out.

bow to jesus

Paul wrote in Philippians 2: 9-11, “God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  There is still time if you are not a Christian, will you consider how awesome Jesus is and then repent, confess Him as Lord, and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins today?

This spring as the thunder storms form, and the next time you see lightning flash across the sky, perhaps you’ll remember the incredible and awesome power of Jesus.  “Awesome power, boundless grace. None can fathom all Your ways.  Truth and love are found in Your heart alone, righteousness surrounds Your throne.  Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, most high.  Holy, Holy, Holy Lord most high!”  Words by John G. Elliott (1990)

Thanks Terry for the reminder of our awesome Lord and Savior!