Wednesday's Word January 19, 2022
A House Divided Cannot Stand
In modern, urban America we rarely talk about demons. Jesus and the Bible,
however, don't hold back. Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of Heaven. As His
Kingdom advanced, we see sickness, sin, death, and demonic forces flee.
In today's church, we're good at talking about Jesus' victory over sin and
death. Occasionally we pray for healing, though often we settle by asking God
to help the doctors do their jobs well. Rarely, if ever, do we pray for God to
help us in the spiritual battle that rages around us.
Spiritual warfare is a big topic with little hints scattered throughout the
sixty-six books of the Bible. Recently, we read about Jesus driving out demons
and comparing this warfare to tying up a strong man so that you could plunder
his house.
It's very easy for my imagination to get running around these topics, but
it's important to stick to what Jesus is saying. His message isn't that we
should "bind satan" in prayer. His message is that Jesus is stronger
than the "strong man". The enemy is essentially tied up because
Jesus' Kingdom is advancing. Don't think of this as a cowboy with a spiritual
lasso trying to rope a stray cow. Rather, picture a stampede bearing down on
someone. That person has nowhere to go, nowhere to run. The Kingdom is
advancing. Satan and his minions have nowhere to go.
The Bible isn't a training manual teaching us how to effectively fight
Satan. The Bible speaks "good news" that Jesus has already brought a
stampede of grace into our reality, trampling sin, death, disease, and Satan himself.
We still have a few scraps ahead of us, but the victory is assured.
And that’s good news.
Pastor Tim
Watch this week’s video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68KjMdMbU4Y
Tying Up the Strong Man
In Matthew 12 Jesus is accused of driving out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. In response, He talks about what spiritual warfare looks like. This ties into a broader theme of the spiritual battle that rages around us. These two videos offer an introduction and a deeper reflection on these topics. Enjoy.
Video resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CamYtVpoTNk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npk34pB5P4A
Upcoming New Testament in a Year Readings
1/19/20 Matthew 13:34-58
1/20/20 Matthew 14:1-21
1/21/20 Matthew 14:22-36
1/22/20 Matthew 15:1-20
1/23/20 Matthew 15:21-39
1/24/20 Matthew 16
1/25/20 Matthew 17
1/26/20 Matthew 18:1-20
Upcoming Daily Audio Bible Readings
January 19: Genesis 39:1-41:16, Matthew 12:46-13:23, Psalm 17:1-15, Proverbs
3:33-35
January 20: Genesis 41:17-42:17, Matthew 13:24-46, Psalm 18:1-15, Proverbs
4:1
January 21: Genesis 42:18-43:34, Matthew 13:47-14:13, Psalm 18:16-34,
Proverbs 4:7-10
January 22: Genesis 44:1-45:28, Matthew 14:14-36, Psalm 18:35-50,
Proverbs 4:11-13
January 23: Genesis 46:1-47:31, Matthew 15:1-28, Psalm 19:1-14,
Proverbs 4:14-19
January 24: Genesis 48:1-49:33, Matthew 15:29-16:12, Psalm 20:1-9,
Proverbs 4:20-27
January 25: Genesis 50:1-Exodus 2:10, Matthew 16:13-17:9, Psalm
21:1-13, Proverbs 5:1-6
January 26: Exodus 2:11-3:22, Matthew 17:10-27, Psalm 22:1-18,
Proverbs 5:7-14
January 27: Exodus 4:1-5:21, Matthew 18:1-22, Psalm 22:19-31,
Proverbs 5:15:21
Wednesday’s Word January 19, 2022
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