Scripture: Ephesians 2 v 8 - 10: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Salvation is the gift of God. It cannot be earned by being a perfect, moral, honest or hard-working person. Our place in Heaven cannot be assured or purchased by philanthropy nor humanitarianism.
There are many unsaved people who would make wonderful Christians however their pride and self-righteousness is a large barrier to salvation. Any kind of sin is anathema to God. He will not permit the tiniest stain of sin to invade Heaven. He saw its destruction in His favoured Cherub, Lucifer, when sin was found in him. It shattered Heaven and caused us to end up on Earth under his evil power.
The Gift of God is that He laid the sins of all mankind upon His own sinless Son. By God's own words, the wages of sin is death. Even one lie, one small theft, one act of witchcraft/fortune telling/blackmail killed us. No one is worthy of God's forgiveness.
In His great plan our already dead spirits were drawn into Jesus so He became the sin bearer. His death was God's judgment on Him plus all of us. The moment Jesus cried out on the Cross, "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken me?" is the moment the cry of those being cast into Hell is heard. Our Father turned His face away from His Son because Jesus had become every sin we could ever sin. It was laid on Him and it killed Him.
We were buried with Jesus. We descended into Paradise, a part of Hell, spiritually together with Him. Our already dead spirits were attached to Jesus from the moment He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let your imagination run free -
We were in Him in the Garden
We were in Him when He was arrested
We were in Him when He was whipped to shreds
We were in Him when He stayed silent before His accusers
We were in Him stumbling up the hill of Golgotha
We were in Him on the Cross
We were in Him entering Paradise to shouts of joy
We were in Him when He defeated Satan in Hell. We saw Jesus make a show of Satan in front of everyone. In other words He triumphed over him completely.
If we could remember it we would have no fear of Satan or his demons. We would trample on them in the same triumphant attitude. We are God's workmanship created in Christ for good works. We are Resurrected with Him but it only starts to manifest after we are born again and baptised in water.
We are created as a New Creation to be like Jesus was on this Earth, to use Him as an example, a prototype. What He did, we can do! And even greater things because He is now with the Father. That means the Holy Spirit is empowering us with His gifts which include healing, faith, miracles, deliverance from demons. We just need to have faith and believe.
1 Corinthians 15 v 16 - 20: "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept."
The enemy will try take advantage of novice Christians, filling their heads with embarrassing scenarios of failure and ridicule. Too often they choose to listen to the Devil's lies and stop the works Jesus has just started to do through them.. Let us build up our courage and be bold for Jesus' sake. He backs us up.
We saw all the saints of old in that place called Paradise or Abraham's Bosom, prophets, kings, judges and scribes. Then with the resurrection of Jesus the people of Jerusalem saw these faithful ancestors walking around as they too were resurrected with Jesus. They were on their way to the Father.
Matthew 27 v 50 - 53: "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."
What an amazing sight this must have been. Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Saul, David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Daniel visibly manifested. Mary Magdalene saw Jesus in the garden and thought He was the gardener.
He told her Mary don't touch Me for I am not yet ascended to My Father. He assured her He would return. What He did next was recorded by Paul in Ephesians 4 v 8 - 10: "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)"
Jesus was visible in every realm, Hell, Earth, Heaven to proclaim His sovereignty. He took the Keys of Hell and Death away from Satan. He has no more authority unless he can con us with his lies, suggestions, innuendos and bluff. We have to give him power against us with which he proceeds to destroy us. Yielding to sin is his open sesame to bring torment, hurt and disease upon us.
So build up your faith against his lies as Jesus did in the wilderness. Fire missiles of applicable scripture at him because he knows the Word very well. If it is written in the Bible and we know what it means he can not come up against us. Blast him out of his pride and enmity. Stop him with Godly authority. When you see him fleeing rejoice in the victory Jesus won for us.
We the living saints are part of God's group of warriors who mean business with His Kingdom above all else. Fear Not for your name is written on the palm of His hand. You are His Workmanship so go forth and believe that nothing is impossible. Do not hesitate to perform whatever task He gives us. Our obedience is His glory. He says it was worth it.
Prayer: Heavenly Father You do all things well. Even if we fail, You lift us up and comfort us. Help us to have confidence that You are working through us to reach the lost, cast out demons and heal the sick. We worship You in Spirit and Truth. In Jesus' name. Amen.