"One Man" Part One

Ezekiel.22:30

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but

I

found
none."

Psalm.106:23

"So he said he would destroy them--had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them."

1. "His chosen one"

We have been chosen and appointed as God's agents of change for such a time as this. In the broad spectrum of eternity, God in his wisdom apportioned this moment in history to be my time to stand in the gap. The Wesley brothers, Charles Finney, Billy Graham had their allotment. But God hand-picked me specifically to be born and live in THIS exact time period of all creation. I have been chosen, crafted and equipped to stand in the breach and this is MY time. I am armed and dangerous.

2. "Stood in the breach"

He's made His choice, now I must make mine. When He looks for a man, will He find me willing to risk reputation, to risk earthly treasure, to risk fame, to risk what is entitled to me in order to gain the prize?

3. "before Him"

Moses could stand up to Pharoah because he had fallen flat before the Burning Bush. Our authority (or lack there of) comes not from which Kings or Presidents we have (or don't have) access to. It is found solely in who we have bowed our knees to.

The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him. I will try my utmost to be that man. -D.L. Moody

The Power of The Gospel #2

The Gospel in 1 Peter:

1. The PAST is forgiven
(2:24) "He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his words you have been healed"
(3:18) "For Christ died for sins once for all, te righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God"

2. The PRESENT is protected
(1:5) "...who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of salvation..."
and motivated (4:2) "As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God"

3. The FUTURE is assured
(1:4) "...and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade- kept in heaven for you..."
(1:7) "These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may prove genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed."

The power of The Gospel

The Gospel addresses 3 elements head on:

1. The penalty AND the power of sin
-not only does the cross address the legal transaction of exchanging death as the wages of sin for eternal life but it also strips sin of it’s power over us. We are no longer just at the mercy of sin, but Christ’s cross empowers us to walk free from the snare of sin here on earth. If you only believe you will be free of sin when you die, then death is your saviour!


2. The accusation of the law
-the bony accusing finger of the law that seems to always be pointed in our direction addressing all our flaws and short-comings was silenced that day on Calvary’s hill. As Christ yelled out, “it is finished!” all requirements of the law were fulfilled on our behalf! The Law which is powerless to save us but which had shown us our desperate need for a saviour had completed it’s task as Jesus became our new standard and we received his righteousness.

3. The power and dominion of darkness
-In the garden, the first Adam gave satan the very dominion and authority God had given to us. In a desert in the fourth chapters of Matthew and Luke, the final Adam, Jesus, met up with the
very same temptations but this time the result was entirley different. And the cross and subsequent resurrection sealed satan’s fate as Christ made a public spectacle totally disarming and embarrasing them!

The Gospel does not contain power, but it is the power of God! We need no other secret wisdom, the great mystery is Christ and Him crucified, and then living in me! The Gospel is not elementary or just the entry point, nor is it just a ticket to heaven. Signs and wonders follow it when it is preached and lived with conviction. God, give us a greater understanding of the fullness of your glorious Gospel!