The Crumbling Gates of Hell Will Not Prevail!

“The gates of hell shall not prevail” (Mat 16:18)

Most of us have seen various images of huge iron gates framed in flames and topped with evil-looking gargoyles — the Gates of Hell as Hollywood imagines them to be. While it makes for good theater, it is poor theology.

First of all, there is no fence around Hell, so there can be no Gate. In fact, Jesus is not talking about a physical gate at all. Rather, He is talking about the counsels, judgements, plans, purposes, schemes, tricks, and wiles of the kingdom of darkness. That is the actual meaning of the phrase — the Gates of Hell.

In ancient times the gates of the city were the place where public concourse and matters of court would be considered and decided upon. Also, it was customary for the elders of the city to sit in the gates, signifying that wisdom and understanding were available for all the people of the city. On some occasions, even kings would place their thrones in the Gates, signifying their rule over all who came in and out of the City.

Those listening to Jesus talk about the gates of hell would understand all this; after all, they didn’t have movies in those days.

When Jesus said that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Community of the Called Out (that is, His Church), He means that none of the attacks which the devil unleashes from his seat of authority will in any manner gain supremacy over the people of God. Even if the full arsenal of Satan’s dark empire was launched in a single, massive, all-out frontal assault against the Church, the cumulative effect would be like a fly smacking into the Rock of Gibraltar! The Rock wins.

Friend, no scheme the devil devises will succeed, no counsel he offers will prosper, no plan he comes up with will work. “Greater is He who is in you, than he that is in the world” (1Jn 4:4). And, “no weapon formed against you shall prosper” (Isa 54:17).see below:

1Jn 4:4  Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world. 

Isa 54:17  But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that he won’t try. In fact, it all but guarantees that the one thing the devil will do is attack the Church with relentless intensity. And why? Because the Church is the only thing on the planet that holds the unique distinction of being the Bride of Christ. And the devil so hates the Lord Jesus that he will try to trash whatever is dear to the Lord’s heart. And that’s us! It’s The Children Of God! He Bride of The King!   Not the building or the Religious Organisation!

What else can you expect from a sulking bum sitting defeated in the crumbling gates of hell?

Grace for Serving the Lord Acceptably

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. (Heb 12:28)

We who follow Jesus dwell in a unique kingdom, the kingdom of God. 

"For our citizenship is in heaven" (Php 3:20). In order to serve the Lord acceptably, we must learn to serve in a unique, heavenly manner—by grace. 

We all began in a different kingdom than the Lord's. We were under the powerful influence of spiritual darkness. We existed in a realm devoid of true love. Then, our great God rescued us, bringing us into a kingdom of light and love: "giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Col 1:12-13). Furthermore, in that former kingdom, we were easily threatened by every manner of instability. Our lives were built upon the sand of philosophical speculations and human inadequacies. Now, we are in "a kingdom which cannot be shaken." We entered this kingdom by the rock solid provision of grace, and we stand in this same grace today: "justified freely by His grace . . . we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (Rom 3:24; Rom 5:2). When circumstances change, we need not be shaken. Our King and His grace are constantly available and always sufficient. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb 13:8). 

When we received the King as our Lord and Savior (see Joh 1:12), the full resources of His kingdom became our portion forever. God "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph 1:3). Yet, in a profound sense, we are still receiving His kingdom. "We are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken." This process of receiving is comprised of practical appropriation of His kingdom provisions, by faith. The provision of grace is especially strategic, since this is how we serve God acceptably. "Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably." We are called to serve our King. We cannot serve Him by merely attempting to do the best we can. That would be law performance, energized by the flesh. We need to have grace as our empowering resource, just as the early church had. "And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all" (Act 4:33). Desiring to minister by grace allows our service to flow forth acceptably as worship unto the Lord: "with reverence and godly fear."

Lord Jesus, my King, I praise You for bringing me into Your unshakable kingdom. I want to serve You acceptably—having my service arise to You from a worshiping heart. So, I humbly look to You to fill my life with Your grace, in Your name, Amen.

THE QUEST FOR THE ETERNAL

"O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee; my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is." — Psa 63:1.

THIS PSALM has a special fascination for those who can no longer gather with the assemblies of God's people. David was in flight from Absalom, wandering in the wilderness. The land around is waterless and weary, and his enemies are on his track. But all this seems secondary to his longing for God. Weary and thirsty though he is, his most agonizing desire is for God, the living God, as he had seen and known Him in the tent, which he had reared on Zion for His worship. The barren wilderness, seemed to reflect the craving of his soul for God.

In many hearts and lives his mood is reflected to-day. Our soul thirsts and pines for the vision of the power and glory of God, for the communion of saints. Perhaps David lays greater emphasis on the Sanctuary than we do on our places of worship. We must remember that the Glory of the Shekinah shone between the Cherubim in that hallowed Shrine.

In Psa 63:5-7, the longing soul seems satisfied. As we long for God, we find Him. As we seek, we possess (Isa 41:17-18). As we remember Him, we break into song. The fact is that our yearnings after God are the response of our hearts to the beat of His heart and to the knock of His hand. Prayer is the response of our nature to the circulation of His lifeblood within us. When we seek His face, it is in answer to His own summons. "When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek." As one has stated it: "Our desires and aspirations are responses to the outflowings of the Holy Spirit in silent or expressed communion."

The climax of the Psalm is reached in Psa 63:8. Notice the three-fold steps: my soul thirsts; my soul is satisfied; my soul followeth hard after Thee. Remember Him upon thy bed! Meditate on Him through the night-watches! Hide thyself under the shadow of His wings! Keep step with His purposes! Follow close behind Him! Whosoever follows hard on God's track, trusting in Him, rejoicing in His companionship, reaching out toward Him, will feel his own outstretched hand enclosed in a strong and tender grasp, steadying against weariness and failure, and making His own footsteps a way for our feet.

PRAYER

Bestow upon me also, O Lord my God, understanding to know Thee, diligence to seek Thee, wisdom to find Thee, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace Thee. AMEN.

Every Scripture Is Given By HIS Inspiration!

2Ti 3:16  Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action),

HOLD FAST TO INSPIRED SCRIPTURE 

The world does not love Christ or Christians any better than of old; and all who are minded to live godly lives will come inevitably to the cross in one form or another. To be without persecution should put us in serious doubt as to whether we are right. The spirit of the gospel is in absolute disagreement with the spirit of the world. But, whatever the losses and trials, let the children of God abide in the things which they have learned, and walk in blameless purity and consistency. The conduct, purpose, and patience of this great and holy Apostle gleam in front of us for our inspiration and guidance; and his experience will be ours-that there is no sorrow out of which we shall not be delivered, when we have learned the lesson it was sent to teach.

In the stern experiences of human life there is no stay that is comparable to the Holy Scriptures. The infinite variety of Scripture adapts itself to different states of the soul. Whatever our need, we can find its solace and remedy here. Thus we may live a complete life, finding in the Bible an equipment for all our emergencies. In this armory is every weapon for offense and defense; in this pharmacopoeia is a medicine and antidote for every wound.

2 Tim 3:16.     All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,.... That is, all holy Scripture; for of that only the apostle is speaking; and he means the whole of it; not only the books of the Old Testament, but of the New, the greatest part of which was now written; for this second epistle to Timothy is by some thought to be the last of Paul's epistles; and this also will hold good of what was to be written; for all is inspired by God, or breathed by him: the Scriptures are the breath of God, the word of God and not men; they are "written by the Spirit", as the Syriac version renders it; or "by the Spirit of God", as the Ethiopic version. The Scriptures are here commended, from the divine authority of them; and which is attested and confirmed by various arguments; as the majesty and loftiness of their style, which in many places is inimitable by men; the sublimity of the matter contained in them, which transcends all human understanding and capacity ever to have attained unto and discovered; as the trinity of persons in the Godhead, the incarnation of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, &c. The purity and holiness of them before observed, show them to be the word of him that is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; as also their harmony and agreement, though wrote by different persons, in different places, and ages, and at sundry times, and in divers manners; what seeming inconsistencies are observed in them may, with labour and industry, by divine assistance, be reconciled. The predictions of future events in them, as particularly concerning Josiah and Cyrus, by name, long before they were born, and especially concerning Jesus Christ, and which have had their accomplishment, and many others in the New Testament both by Christ and his apostles, are a proof that they could not be the writings of men, but must have the omniscient God for their author; the impartiality of the writers of them, in not concealing the mean extract of some of them, the sins of others before conversion, and even their sins and failings afterwards, as well as those of their nearest relations and dearest friends, strengthens the proof of their divine authority; to which may be added, the wonderful preservation of them, through all the changes and declensions of the Jewish church and state, to whom the books of the Old Testament were committed; and notwithstanding the violence and malice of Heathen persecutors, particularly Dioclesian, who sought to destroy every copy of the Scriptures, and published an edict for that purpose, and notwithstanding the numbers of heretics, and who have been in power, as also the apostasy of the church of Rome; and yet these writings have been preserved, and kept pure and incorrupt, which is not the case of other writings; nor are there any of such antiquity as the oldest of these: to which may be subjoined the testimony of God himself; his outward testimony by miracles, wrought by Moses and the prophets, concerned in the writings of the Old Testament, and by the apostles in the New; and his internal testimony, which is the efficacy of these Scriptures on the hearts of men; the reading and hearing of which, having been owned for the conversion, comfort and edification of thousands and thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand: and

is profitable for doctrine; for the discovering, illustrating, and confirming any doctrine concerning God, the being, persons, and perfections of God; concerning the creation and fall of man; concerning the person and offices of Christ, redemption by him, justification by his righteousness, pardon by his blood, reconciliation and atonement by his sacrifice, and eternal life through him, with many others. The Scripture is profitable for ministers to fetch doctrine from, and establish it by; and for hearers to try and prove it by:

for reproof; of errors and heresies; this is the sword of the Spirit, which cuts all down. There never was, nor is, nor can be any error or heresy broached in the world, but there is a sufficient refutation of it in the Scriptures; which may be profitably used for that purpose, as it often has been by Christ and his apostles, and others since in all ages:

for correction; of vice; there being no sin, but the evil nature of it is shown, its wicked tendency is exposed, and the sad effects and consequences of it are pointed out in these writings: for instruction in righteousness; in every branch of duty incumbent upon men; whether with respect to God, or one another; for there is no duty men are obliged unto, but the nature, use, and excellency of it, are here shown: the Scriptures are a perfect rule of faith and practice; and thus they are commended from the usefulness and profitableness of them.

Word of His Grace!

I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able . . . But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (Act 20:32 and 2Ti 3:14-15)

The present verses again point us to our current theme, continuing in the word of God's grace. Only the grace of God is able to provide what is needed for the life we are called to live. This necessary grace is held forth for our learning and appropriating in "the word of His grace." This life-giving grace is to be lived in day by day (ideally, from childhood through old age). 

Paul urged Timothy to continue in the biblical truth that he had been taught, truth about which he had become convinced. "Continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of." God's word not only instructs us in His ways, it also convinces us of their validity. In this process, God uses human instruments: "knowing from whom you have learned them." In Timothy's spiritual training, the Lord used the prophets of old (who were inspired to write the scriptures), as well as Paul (who discipled Timothy). Timothy's mother and grandmother were also a vital part of this process. "I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice" (2Ti 1:5). Thus, his spiritual nurture began in his childhood years. "From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures." It is the will of God that children be raised upon the scriptures. "Do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Eph 6:4). If we were not raised upon the word, God wants to begin feeding it to us at new birth. "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1Pe 2:2). If we have never had a serious diet of the word, today is now the day to begin. 

As we are learning the word of God, its ability is unleashed in our lives. Saving grace is the first great matter the Lord wants to bring to us through the scriptures: "which are able to make you wise for salvation." People can be exceedingly foolish concerning salvation, until they are enlightened through the word of God . Some think they do not need to be saved. Others think they can somehow save themselves. The Bible reveals the necessary path for all: "through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Dear God of my salvation, I praise You for Your word, which brought me the wisdom to trust in the saving grace of Christ. I thank You for every person You have ever used to bring me any aspect of Your truth. Please teach me more and more—and please use me to get Your word to others, in Jesus name, Amen.

THE ROYAL RULING POWER OF GOD

The Royal, Ruling Power of God

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Rom 14:17)

When jewelers want to show the exquisite beauty of a diamond, they always set it upon black velvet under bright lights. That way, the only thing that can capture and refract the light will be the jewel, making it appear in its fullest luster. I will attempt to do a similar thing right now as it pertains to the Kingdom of God. I want to illustrate it by way of contrast.

In “The Mist” (a movie based on the novel by Stephen King), a thick unnatural fog rapidly spreads across the small town of Bridgton the morning after a violent thunderstorm. With visibility reduced to near-zero, no one can see that the mist is concealing numerous species of bizarre, otherworldly creatures which viciously attack any human who ventures out into the open.

In a weird plot twist the story goes suddenly religious when Mrs. Carmody announces that the only way to appease the darkness and stop the power of evil is by human sacrifice.

OK…so, that’s the black velvet upon which I now contrast a most exquisite and resplendent crown jewel — the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom is the exact opposite of the Mist, with one exception. Both are pervasive, and carry within themselves something that is otherworldly. In the case of the Mist, it was horror and death brought about by hideous creatures. In the case of the Kingdom, it is righteousness, peace, and joy — brought about by the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

Also, the mist was a concealing force, while the Kingdom brings full clarity of all things.

The Kingdom is the royal, ruling power of God present now in our world; pervading all things with its redeeming influence; healing and transforming lives, homes and communities. And everything goes according to God’s plan, as long as man doesn’t try and make it become a religious thing. That’s when the monsters appear.

Paul writes, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink,” meaning that God never intended for us to sit in judgement against others over matters of eating and drinking, or going to church on Sunday, or a host of other things all designed to divide us from one another.

Jesus brought the royal, ruling power of God into our world to make things right, not religious. Righteousness means set right with God and man. The immediate result of righteousness is always peace, for we are no longer striving to control one another into doing something the way we suppose it should be done. And the result of peace, is always joy — the happiness of healed relationships.

Turn away from the unholy Mist, and live your life in the pervasive presence of the Holy Spirit — for He is the one who produces the work of the royal, ruling power of God in our lives…and through our lives for others.

ROYAL AMBASSADORS

Royal Ambassadors

“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Mat 10:7)

The message has not changed. John the Baptizer said it first, as the forerunner for the Lord Jesus. Then Jesus Himself debuted His own ministry with the same declaration. And now He authorizes His followers to carry the exact same message everywhere we go.

More specifically — as we go.

This is an important distinction. For if we approach this calling to proclaim the Kingdom with our minds focused upon where it is we are going to deliver the message once we get there, then we will miss all the opportunities that await us all along the way. And, frankly speaking, that is where most of the Kingdom occurs.

It would be a mistake if we became so focused on what God is going to do later that we missed out on what God is doing right now.

So, as you go, preach; don’t wait until you get there, for by then the sermon will be nothing more than, well, a sermon. And haven’t we heard enough of those already! Somewhere along the slow unfolding years of time, we have somehow actually come to the place where we evidently believe that a tidy church service on Sunday morning supposedly fulfills this mandate from our Master.

And we miss out on the Kingdom of God each and every day all around us!

The Kingdom of God is not in word only, but in power. Jesus told them to not only proclaim the kingdom as they went, but to also demonstrate it by what they did. In other words, He wants for us to become the means whereby His power is expressed — changing things from what they are, to what God wills them to be.

“As the Father has sent Me,” Jesus said, “even so send I you.” (Joh 20:21). Paul the Apostle said, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2Co 5:20). Few verses more precisely summarize not only our mission — but our message.

You are a royal ambassador for the Kingdom of God. As you go everywhere fulfill this mission and proclaim this message – “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In the course of everyday activity, simply tell others the good news that the ruling power of God is present to help them in whatever they face.