There is a lot of imagery in this chapter that I want to repeat.
1.) The world is a house under siege (87)
2.) He has come to plunder the strong man's house! He has come to set the prisoners free!!! (88)
3.) As Jesus lets evil take Him down, graves were opened? Yes, because in the moment Jesus dies, death lost its grip. (90)
Jesus on the cross is the Stronger Man
And what does it mean when the Stronger Man is also the light of the world, the bread of life, the one who baptizes in and with the Holy Spirit, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? And what does it mean that He invites me into relationship with Him?
It means that there is power in the name of Jesus - it means that (as DJ mentioned) when I am confronted by evil in this world (which happens all too often) I can say "I belong to Jesus. He has bound you. You have no authority in my life. Be gone" I am living this life with the Stronger Man on my side.
And now the challenge is to recognize that Almighty power- that its true - that is belongs to Him who loves me - that the power cannot be diminished by evil - and that I am not in this alone. Because when I try to resist that evil without calling upon the power of Jesus - or when I reason "its not reeeeaaaally evil I'm sure its not that bad or nothing I can't handle, I'm pretty resilient " thats when I fall because thats when I am trying to make my life independent from Jesus- and DJ made it pretty clear what happened when a certain fallen angel wanted to do that.
But why wouldn't I want to embrace and rely on the power of Jesus over my own?!?! (ugh pride, the hope that independence makes me stronger, that perfection makes me worthy - potholes) But Jesus is so much more so so much more than these potholes that make me want to run away- the potholes that are rooted in the worlds lies - the lies that are intended to drive me away from my Creator! my Redeemer! My Stronger Man! And guess what?! He already bound evil - He conquered death - I do not have to be captive to these potholes! I/we are called to something greater.
Now I will worship Him - the love of my life with too many life-changing "I Am" statements to count. Because what happens when I surrender and worship in His name?- The powers of darkness tremble!!! Because once again they realize that Jesus, the Stronger Man, has bound them (93)
Ahh now this is a reason to sing! This is a victory! Celebration is central! Praise Christ...Always
btw: I've shared this with Andy already but I want to let you all know how important this blog has been for me these past 6 weeks, especially for the ~5 weeks that I've been here in Mexico. It is great to feel connected to and present in this community even though I am so far away. So thanks!
You are in my prayers,
Adk
I too was struck by the consequences of as you put it "trying to make my life independent from Jesus." DJ startled me when he explained that the dark angel's fall started with a declaration of independence. Sobering.
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