Sermon Quotes: "To Destroy the Devil's Works"
One reason for considering the reasons for Christ’s appearing is that we might be appropriately and freshly affected, this Advent season, by Christ’s appearing.
“Thinking deeply about the gospel is the only way to consistently feel deeply about the gospel.”
That means thinking deeply about the reasons the Christ has come is the only way to consistently feel deeply about the reality that the Christ has come. And so far we’ve given thought to the truth that Christ came to DISPLAY the Father’s glory for the sake of our pleasure and that Christ came to DELIVER us from sin for sake of our gratitude and praise. Now today, our aim is to think deeply about this--Christ came to DESTROY--to destroy the works of the devil.
One of the ways that Jesus destroys the works of the devil is by giving us new birth, through which we enjoy a new nature that practices righteousness instead of sin (1 John 3:9). But does that mean new birth means sinless perfection?
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us ... If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
In other words, it’s a sin for a Christian to say they don’t sin. A trusted friend of ours puts it this way:
“The new birth does not make us perfect in this life. Sin remains, and the fight of faith is a daily necessity. Some unbelievers look like better people than some believers. But that is because some pretty bad people have been born again, and the process of transformation is not always as fast as we would like.”
Beneath every sin is a failure to believe a truth about God. Vanderstelt observes,
“We all fluctuate between the extremes of believing we are demigods sent to save the world, and demons who are the scum of the earth, and everything in between. And the reason we believe what we do about ourselves is because of what we believe or don’t believe about God.”