From the moment that the deceptive scheme began to form in his mind, Satan has sought to defraud and enslave all of God’s creation. Since the fall of our fore parents, Adam and Eve, Satan has laid claim to Earth as the base of his kingdom.
When talking to God in the book of Job, Satan spoke as though it was his prerogative to roam the Earth as he pleased (Job 2:1, 2). Even Jesus referred to Satan as the “prince of this world”; but in the same breath, Jesus pronounced that Satan had no power over Him (John 14:30). Just think, Satan must really have a stranglehold on planet Earth if even God in the flesh acknowledged Satan’s authority. And although Revelation 12 teaches that his authority could never eclipse that of the Son of God, the fact is, Satan gained dominion over the earth when Adam and Eve fell under his lies.
After Adam and Eve sinned, each subsequent generation has borne the burden of a sinful nature and a mortal soul. Disobedience to God made the human race susceptible to Satan’s schemes, sickness, disease, and ultimately death. No matter how hard we fight, we have the limiting force and denigrating influence of thousands of years of sin and death. Death and sin is the way of all mankind. We need to be made free.
Enter Jesus, our Freedom Fighter. He would be raised from the earth to die on the cross. And, He would be raised in the resurrection from the dead. So not only would humanity be attracted to His matchless love, but also His matchless power. In His resurrection, He wields the keys to hell and the grave. Jesus, is our Freedom Fighter.
In every generation, humanity has sought to defy aging, cheat death, and lengthen their days on earth. The good news is that Christ’s resurrection was evidence that death and the grave are no match for His limitless power! But that’s not all.
Christ would be raised up from the earth on Calvary’s cross. This signaled His matchless love for humanity. He would then be raised from the dead, and this would signal His matchless power over death and the grave. Then He would be raised and ascend to heaven to intercede for us in the heavenly sanctuary and to reign with His Father in heaven. (See Hebrews 8:1-2, 6 and Revelation 5:5-8.) With this, the death and subsequent resurrection of Christ is the catalyst to liberate us from the clutches of Satan.
Death and sin is the way of all mankind. We need to be made free.
John spoke assuredly saying, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God,” (John 1:12). Now, in a cursory glance we risk missing the deeper meaning of this verse. John promises that God gives power to all who believe to become children of God. And although the word power could refer to ability or strength, Satan wants to use this definition as a trap. Specifically, Satan wants us to believe that by our own strength we can live according to the mandates of God. Satan well knows this will only result in our frustration and failure. Power, here, actually suggests legal authority. This means God gives us strength, and He also gives us rights. These rights are a legal claim that will hold up in the heavenly court of law.
You can rest assured that if you stand in the courtroom of the Almighty God, with the proper legal documentation—signed by the precious blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—you have your freedom!
Friend, you don’t simply want physical or even spiritual strength. You also want legal rights that provide evidence that you belong to God. In Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection, God gave us heavenly freedom papers! That’s what you call freedom! And one day soon, God will say, “Enter into the joy of thy Lord!”
On that great and wonderful day, we will enter into the limitless joy of eternity!
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful,” (Revelation 21:3-5).
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CARLTON P. BYRD, D.MIN., is Senior Pastor of the Oakwood University Church in Huntsville, Alabama and the speaker and director for Breath of Life Television Ministries.
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1 John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, 1746 – 1763.
This article is part of our 2019 November / December Issue
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