Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. When the Lord Jesus Christ suffered,
died, was buried, and rose again from the dead, he did not just
make salvation a possibility, nor did he complete only a part
of a legal transaction. Rather, he completely and utterly
destroyed sin and rendered it powerless to ever again bring
its fear and reproach upon those in whose place he stood, 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, triumphing over them in it. In the slaying of
Goliath, David cut off the head of this giant, who we see as
a representative of sin itself. The need of sinners is not just
to be delivered from the penalty of sin, but from the very curse
and power of it. So the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed
the deliverer of his people, as he took our sin upon himself.
For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. As he bore our
sin, he imputed his righteousness to us. When he departed from
the field of battle, the victory was won and the display of his
glory was manifest. David was not content just to
destroy Goliath, but all of those of Goliath's family were felled
by him as well. Sin is a many-headed monster, like an octopus with
tentacles, which would weave themselves into the very mind
and heart of God's people if left alive. But he has slain
their enemies and forever delivered the sons of God from sin's power
to, first of all, lotus with guilt and condemnation. In the
Old Testament sacrifices, men were reminded of sin every time
the sacrifice was made. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sin's forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. He has removed any reason for God's children to feel guilt
and condemnation by the offering up of himself once and for all.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. When Adam
and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they were immediately brought
under its condemnation. Their guilt caused them to hide
themselves from God and to sew fig leaves together to cover
their nakedness. His righteousness has forever been given to us
for covering, even as He covered Adam and Eve with coats made
from the skins of animals. He has taken away our shame.
He has slain our enemies and forever delivered the sons of
God from sin's power to separate us from God. Our sins had indeed
separated us from his presence, and like Adam and Eve, made fearful
to approach unto him. But he has broken down that wall
of partition, which was a sign of our separation, and he has
rent the veil of the temple in twain, signifying that the way
into the holiest of all has been made. And you that were sometime
alienated in enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to
present you holy and unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. He has destroyed sin's power
to dominate our lives. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in
your mortal body that ye should obey it in the lust thereof.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness
unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive
from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness
unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are
not under the law, but under grace. He has not left us to
our own devices. Sin cannot have dominion over
the reborn sons of God because He has delivered them from its
domination. When we were the servants of sin, we were free
from righteousness, going about to establish our own. Now being
made free from that darkness by the power of God, we are made
to see that our only righteousness is in Him and that He is our
perfect righteousness. Therefore, sin cannot have dominion
over us. He has delivered the sons of
God from sin's power to make us fearful of death. He has triumphed
over death, becoming the firstfruits of them that sleep, that he might
deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage. Death is spoken of as the last
enemy that shall be destroyed, not because Christ has yet to
triumph over it, but because we have not yet been called upon
to die in these mortal bodies. In the hour of our weakness,
he will give us strength to testify. O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as David cut
off the head of Goliath, so too has the Lord cut off the very
power of sin to condemn and destroy the sons of God. There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law
of sin and death. For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.