The clear winner in God’s Story

This week I was listening to a TALK by Francis Chan. He began by saying he was asked as a young teaching pastor not to preach on a particular set of verses because people consider them offensive. Chan said, “It’s weird that this is being debated today, because it wasn’t for centuries.”

What verses?

After Francis read them, I was stunned. Why would they not allowed to be spoken about in church?

Ephesians 2:1-3: Before any of us placed our faith in Christ, we were 1) dead in our trespasses, 2) following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, 3) among whom we once all lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body, and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (numbers added by me)

This is why we needed a Savior!

These verses explain why we need Jesus. We were lost, that is why we needed to be found. We were dead, that is why we needed a source of life!

Prince of the power of the air

Francis made a point to talk about Satan, referred to as the prince of the power of the air in these verses. The world’s ways are powered by Satan, the only space and time he has power. Then he said this:

Prince of the power of the air means he is “the prince of really, nothing.”

Mic drop.

The prince of “really, nothing.” The comment felt like an unplanned add-in, but they struck my heart with fierceness and these verses came to mind.

Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows his time is short. (Revelation 12:12) Satan only has power during this brief time of history before the curtain closes forever. 

AIR

God says to Satan in the garden of Eden: And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he [Jesus] will crush your [Satan’s] head, and you [Satan] will strike his [Jesus’] heel.” (Genesis 3:15) Satan doesn’t have much power against God’s story. He is going to be completely destroyed in the end.

AIR

Continuing on with verse 4, But God…

We have to stop.

After reminding us in verses 1-3 that we were lost and needed a Savior, verse 4 begins with But God…. God arrived! He came for us! He did all the work to create a plan of salvation when we could do nothing to save ourselves. As you read, look for the solid and long-lasting elements compared to AIR.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10)

Did you see the solid and long-lasting parts? We are raised up with him and seated in the heavenly places with good works that God prepared in advance for us to do, that we should walk in them. These verses are not AIR.

AIR versus SOLID GROUND

This week many Americans watched the Olympic trials on television to watch heats, semi-finals and finals that reveal who will be traveling to Paris, France to participate in this year’s Summer Olympics. Real athletes. Real races in water and on tracks. Real finish lines. Real winners.

Above this tiny blip of time called earth’s history, there is an eternal story unfurling in solid grandeur. Above this tiny blip of time that amounts to AIR, there is an eternal story unfurling of SOLID surety.

God wins

And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

I hope you enjoyed this stray comment as much as I did. Yes, we need to stand against Satan’s lies (Ephesians 6:11, James 4:7). Yes, he is in our enemy, not people (Ephesians 6:12). Yes, he seeks to devour us (1 Peter 5:8).

But he has power over “really, nothing.”

Picture Explanation: Summer fun.

Speaking of living a short life that is fully pleasing to God: Our summer online study is underway! If you are interested in participating in an online One Gritty Blink Bible study this fall, click on the Oaks Ministries link below and send me an email so I can place you on a list to be contacted as online and face-to-face studies are planned. Let’s not just focus on things in this short life, but also what counts for eternity.

Note: No part of my posts are derived from A.I. Thoughts and writing stem from my mind and heart as I process life week-by-week and continue to grow in my understanding of God and how to apply His wisdom to the world around me.

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