Stepping in the Light

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11

The devil’s goal is to deceive us. He wants to trick us into thinking, saying, and doing things that are contrary to God’s Word. There is a spiritual armor that we can employ to help us stand firm in our faith in spite of Satan’s opposition. We must have our “loins girt about with truth.” We can use the truth of scripture to protect us from the lies that the devil may use to question God’s Word. We need the “breastplate of righteousness” in both a positional and a practical sense. Once we are saved, we are counted righteous in Christ Jesus. As we put the truth of the Bible into practice in our lives, we build a layer of protection that gives us confidence in the face of evil attacks. We need to have our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” As we walk through this world, we need to be constantly ready to share our faith with others. The “shield of faith” is our belief in God’s love, providence, and power. The more we believe that God can and will enable us to handle whatever comes our way, the less effective the devil’s attempts at getting us to doubt the Lord will be. The “helmet of salvation” pictures the assurance of salvation, and it is essential if we want to be confident in the battle against sin. Our only offensive weapon is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Jesus quoted scripture each time that He was tempted by the devil. Once we have our armor on, we are to be “praying always.” This is the most important job of the Christian, and putting on our armor enables us to do it.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15

Lucifer was the most elevated of God’s creatures. We do not know everything about him, but the Bible describes him as a beautiful, talented, and powerful creature who was originally one of the three named archangels. He is called “the anointed cherub that covereth” in Ezekiel 28:14. This title seems to reference the Ark of the Covenant, which was fashioned as a replica of the throne of God in heaven. The ark had two cherubim that faced each other and covered the mercy seat that was on the top of the ark with their wings. These word pictures lead us to believe that Lucifer was initially given the privilege and responsibility of continually standing beside the throne of God. It would seem that this would have been the most exalted position that an angel could occupy. He certainly could have been the envy of all of the other angels. But Lucifer was not satisfied with his lofty station. He decided that he wanted to go even higher and become equal with God, but he soon found out that pride is extremely dangerous and can do immeasurable harm. Satan’s fall is the prime example of the devastation pride will bring if we allow it to enter our hearts.

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

We are commanded here to be kind. Most of us would characterize ourselves as being naturally kind people. We know how to say the right things to the people we meet in the course of the day, and we might occasionally let someone go first in traffic.  But true kindness, which flows from a heart of love, requires a great deal more from us. These verses specify some things that we need to get rid of before we can be kind to others. Bitterness and anger sour the soul and eventually give way to harmful words and actions. The only way to root out bitterness and anger is through forgiveness. We are to forgive as Christ has forgiven us. In order to understand the magnitude of this task, we must attempt to get a picture of the holiness of God. When we sin, we sin against God. God’s standard of righteousness is absolute perfection. No matter how hard we try, we can never attain to His holiness. Because we are sinful creatures, our sin is much more offensive to God than the trespasses someone else has committed against us. In order to be kind, we must become tenderhearted and forgive others who have wronged us. When our hearts are free from anger and bitterness, God’s love can fill our hearts and enable us to treat others with true kindness.

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Isaiah 9:2

In chapter four of his gospel, Matthew quotes the passage above as a prophecy concerning the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. John chapter one speaks of Jesus being “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” (John 1:9). In John 8:12 and 9:5, Jesus said of Himself, “I am the light of the world.” The passage above describes people who were walking in darkness. From the day that Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the world has truly languished in spiritual darkness. People are grappling with questions that they cannot answer. Where did we come from? Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Jesus is the answer to all of these questions. He was the active member of the Godhead in creation. “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made,” (John 1:3). He is our Creator, He formed us from the ground, and He was the One Who breathed life into us (Genesis 2:7). The reason we are here is to seek after God and to give Him praise. This is what brings true meaning to life. Once we understand Who Jesus is, we receive the spiritual light we need to walk in this world. Proverbs chapter four tells us that “the way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Jesus is that Great Light!

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 6:1-5

Isaiah was a prophet who ministered during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah in Jerusalem. He was a good man and had been used by God to pen the first five chapters of Isaiah before the events recorded here at the beginning of chapter six. But when Isaiah saw this vision of God upon His throne, he said, “Woe is me!” Isaiah probably was respected by the people around him. He probably thought he was doing well and that he was a pretty good person, but when he saw the Lord, he realized how sorely lacking he really was. Isaiah decried himself as being “undone” and “a man of unclean lips.” We have a tendency to focus on building our reputation and trying to be sure that everyone knows how good we are, but what we really need is to catch a glimpse of the holiness of God.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

Doing anything for a long enough period of time will make you tired. The Christian’s work is likened here to working in a field. A farmer has a lot of work to do and a long time to wait before he can bring in the harvest. He must clear the land, plow and disk the fields, create the rows, plant the crops, cultivate and weed the plants, irrigate the farmland, and patiently wait for months before he will see the fruit of his labor. There is no one to supervise him and nothing to motivate him other than the promise of the harvest by and by. The farmer’s workday goes from before sunup to long after sundown. Timing is essential, and a knowledge of the different types of insects and diseases that pose a danger to his crops is vital. He must remain constantly vigilant to ensure that these threats do not overcome his fields and destroy the harvest. As he is investing all of this back-breaking labor, the farmer receives nothing. He is not being paid an hourly wage. There are no benefits to ensure that his needs are met during the growing season. He must live on what he has laid by in store from last year’s harvest, which creates an additional financial pressure throughout the summer months. What keeps the farmer going? He continues to give everything he has because of the promise of the harvest. Reaping time will bring a great bounty, and the reward will make all of his labors worthwhile. Paul was saying, “Christian, don’t be weary in well doing. Reaping time is just ahead!”

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Fruit is something that grows naturally. When a person gets saved, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of them. The Bible says that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). The presence of the Holy Spirit within us naturally bears fruit in our lives. We can recognize the work of the Spirit of God within us when we begin to see the attributes listed in the passage above manifested in attitudes and actions. As Christians, we should be able to identify these characteristics in our interactions with others as well as in our thoughts and prayers. Fruit grows naturally, but it also grows gradually. If you were looking at an apple tree that had no fruit on it, you would not see a completely ripe apple suddenly appear. If you passed by the tree every day, one day you might notice a tiny apple sprouting from one of the branches. A few days later, you might notice a few more. Those apples would not be very impressive at first, and they would not taste very good if you were to pick one and eat it prematurely, but if you were willing to wait until the end of the growing season, you would have a harvest of delicious apples that you could enjoy. If the list in the passage above is discouraging to you because you see very little of this fruit in your life, don’t despair. Try spending a little more time in God’s Word and prayer and be patient as the Holy Spirit causes His fruit to begin to grow.

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Galatians 4:4-5

There was a certain time when Christ was to be born. The coming of the Messiah was awaited for hundreds and thousands of years. The people of Israel grew weary of waiting and many times were in despair, but God knew exactly when that time would come. Jesus came to redeem us from our sin and to free us from the consequences we deserved for breaking God’s law. He came exactly at the right time, and He accomplished exactly what He came to do. This is a tremendous blessing for all of us who have been born after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to know that we can have redemption through His blood.

In a similar fashion, God has a plan for each of our lives. He has placed us here exactly at the right time in order for us to accomplish the work that He has for us to do, but we must be willing to make ourselves available to Him. Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Jesus knew why He came and was careful to do His Father’s will. God has placed us here to share the love of Christ with everyone we can. Pray that the Lord will enable you to encourage someone today.

“Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” Galatians 3:6-9

Abraham was not perfect. There were many times that his faith was weak, and there were times that he did things that he should not have done, but Abraham is definitely revered in the Bible as a righteous person. He has been called the friend of God, the father of the faithful, and the father of the nation of Israel. Generation after generation has looked to him as the ultimate example of faith, but he definitely was not without fault. In the passage above, we see that he was counted righteous because of his faith. Perhaps the greatest example of faith in Abraham’s life was when he took his son Isaac up the mountain to sacrifice him on the altar as God had instructed. Abraham and Sarah had waited for so many years to have the son that God had promised to them, and now God had commanded Abraham to sacrifice him. Abraham’s faith had faltered at times in the past, but that day he demonstrated that he believed that God would keep His promise. We need the same kind of faith. God has promised us salvation through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Our faith must rest upon God’s promise in order for us to be counted righteous.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Jesus died on a cross in order to pay for the sins of the world. When Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ,” did he mean that he was alive or dead on the cross? We see the answer in the next phrase, “nevertheless I live.” We can understand Paul to mean that he was dead. How could he be both dead and alive? Paul was referring to what we call the old nature and the new nature. We are born with our carnal nature, the flesh, but we receive the new spiritual nature when we are born again. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” We often apply this passage to the things we do, but it isn’t limited to our actions. It says, “all things are become new.” The attitudes and desires of the new creature are different as well as the actions. In our text above, Paul was saying that his carnal nature was dead, but his new spiritual nature was alive. In Romans 6:11-12 Paul said, “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 lusts thereof.” Paul is telling us that the way to conquer sin is to count ourselves among the dead in the flesh, but alive to God spiritually. This is what it means to be crucified with Christ.