Our
family continues to be committed to having our devotion time together each
night before we go to bed. One of the
best resources we’ve found so far is from YouVersion.com
and is the Bible reading plans. YouVersion.com will help you read through the Bible
and get stronger in your faith.
Our
current reading plan is about Christmas, and I’d like to share what we read
tonight. We are off track on the days,
but Day 11 I found fascinating and full of truth. Read the following devotion and continue
celebrating the real reason for Christmas:
_____
Since
therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of
the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power
of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death
were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)
Hebrews
2:14–15 is worth more than two minutes in an Advent devotional. These verses connect the beginning and the
end of Jesus’s earthly life. They make
clear why he came. They would be great
to use with an unbelieving friend or family member to take them step-by-step
through your Christian view of Christmas. It might go something like this…
“Since
therefore the children share in flesh and blood…”
The term
“children” is taken from the previous verse and refers to the spiritual
offspring of Christ, the Messiah (see Isaiah 8:18; 53:10). These are also the “children of God.” In other words, in sending Christ, God has
the salvation of his “children” especially in view. It is true that “God so loved the world,
that he sent [Jesus].” But it is also
true that God was especially “gathering the children of God who are
scattered abroad” (John 11:52). God’s
design was to offer Christ to the world, and to effect the
salvation of his “children” (see 1 Timothy 4:10). You may experience adoption by receiving
Christ (John 1:12).
“…he
himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood]…”
Christ
existed before the incarnation. He was
spirit. He was the eternal Word. He was with God and was God (John 1:1;
Colossians 2:9). But he took on flesh
and blood and clothed his deity with humanity.
He became fully man and remained fully God. It is a great mystery in many ways. But it is at the heart of our faith and is
what the Bible teaches.
“…that
through death…”
The reason
he became man was to die. As God, he
could not die for sinners. But as man he
could. His aim was to die. Therefore he
had to be born human. He was born to
die. Good Friday is the reason for Christmas.
This is what needs to be said today about the meaning of Christmas.
“…he
might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil…”
In dying,
Christ de-fanged the devil. How? By covering all our sin. This means that
Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s
elect, it is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33) — on what grounds does he
justify? Through the blood of Jesus
(Romans 5:9).
Satan’s
ultimate weapon against us is our own sin.
If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon of the devil is
taken out of his hand. He cannot make a
case for our death penalty, because the Judge has acquitted us by the death of
his Son!
“…and
deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
So we are
free from the fear of death. God has
justified us. Satan cannot overturn that
decree. And God means for our ultimate
safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away
the slavery and fear of the Now.
If we do not
need to fear our last and greatest enemy, death, then we do not need to fear
anything. We can be free. Free for joy.
Free for others.
What a great
Christmas present from God to us! And
from us to the world!
NOTE: this
devotion can be found at https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/751-good-news-of-great-joy/day/11
___
May your Christmas
be full of hope, peace, joy and love as we see that Jesus took the weapons out
of the Devil’s hands. We truly are free!
Comments