30 - THE DEVIL’S HOPELESS JOBJuly 4, 1965
Henry F. Kulp
Romans 8: 28 - 34 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
We have come to the portion of our study where Paul asks the question—What shall we then say to these things? And he gives us seven things we can say. If God is for us, who can be against us? And then he says, because He delivered up His Son for us all, He will freely give us all things.
Last week we finished by studying that He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all—God the Father, delivered up Jesus Christ, and He delivered Him up to the powers of darkness—the powers of evil, and there he was made sin for us. Yet you must understand more about this doctrine of God the Father delivering up God the Son for us all.
Let us go to Galatians 2: 20 where we are told—I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
The word, up, ought to be in there. We should have it—He gave Himself up for me. It is the same expression, the same word in the original that is translated delivered up in Romans 8: 32 God delivered Him up. After He got through the Garden of Gethsemane He was willing. He said, Father, and He said it three times—Thy will be done. Then He
went out and delivered Himself up to His tormenters. He did that for us. No one could describe what the Son of God went through—it was an awful experience as He gave Himself up for you and me.
1/ Now let us turn to Hebrews 9: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God?
Blood is mentioned 12 times in this chapter. It is called the blood chapter in the Bible—it tells us just what the blood does and its importance. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission. In our day men are trying to put aside the blood of Christ, but you can’t do it and believe the Bible and its message. Blood is the foundation of our salvation, and you must fully trust in the blood.
2/ I have no hesitation in saying that salvation is God’s greatest work. There is no work in creation anywhere that we know about that cost God anything. God could at this very moment create a new universe, and it wouldn’t cost Him anything—but there was something that made God poor because God the Son was delivered up by the Father and He willingly gave Himself.
3/ Now notice the rest of this verse—who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God. You have the same word here that you have in Romans 8: 32 and Galatians 2: 20 It should read, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself up without spot to God. The word, up, was left out by the translators. And so the teaching here is that Jesus Christ had to have the help of the Holy Spirit to offer Himself up as a sacrifice, and right away you see God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all working together in order that Jesus Christ might be offered up for our sins.
4/ Romans 8: 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Notice the last part of this verse—how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things. When God delivered up His Son, He gave everything that He had when He gave His Son. I noticed in looking it up in the original that the expression, freely give, is translated by the words, free grant, or without a cause, or without a wage. Let’s understand right at the very start. God is not selling anything. God is not bargaining with man to get something from Him. God is giving something away. God has a gift for mankind—so the best translation I can get for freely give is a free grant. If you go back to the early days for our nation, when the government gave free grants of land, and all one had to do was go into that land, and possess it—that was all. There was nothing to pay—there were no strings attached—you got a free grant from the federal government—a certain piece of ground. That is the word used here—freely give all things. God has made us a free grant of everything that He possesses with the giving of His Son. That is why it is written that all things are ours. If you say Christ Jesus is mine, and you have the right to say that—then you say the creator of the universe is mine. He belongs to me—and, of course, you have to see that you belong to Him. And this is true. When God gave the Lord Jesus Christ, He made a free grant of everything in the universe to those that trust Jesus Christ. But, and this is important, you must trust Jesus Christ.
5/ There is a story I like to tell. I have told it before, but don’t think it will hurt to tell it again. The story is about a man who was very wealthy. His wife died and left a little son. The son was the whole life of the man. He had a housekeeper come and take charge of the home and see to the rearing of the boy. She got to love that boy very much. The boy became like her own son, and, of course, this would be quite natural. The boy grew to nearly 20 years of age, and then suddenly died. The man was left brokenhearted. He felt he had nothing left and he didn’t live long after that. No one could find out what he did with his money. They searched through papers and they could not find any trace of a will, and they were about to have the government take it over, for there were no heirs and there was no will. So they had a sale—they sold the house furnishings. The housekeeper came. She stood in the back, she didn’t have much money. She couldn’t buy the expensive furniture, but there was a picture of that boy hanging on the wall, and she looked at it, longing for it. It was a very good likeness of the boy and she loved the boy. When it was offered for sale, no one wanted it—she bought it for just a few cents. She took it home and took it apart to clean it, it had been hanging on the wall for years, and when she opened the back of the picture, some papers fell out, and it looked to her like they were very important papers. She took them to a lawyer. The lawyer said to her, Madam, this time you have fallen on your feet, for this man left everything he possessed to the one that loved his son enough to buy that picture. He gave everything. God gives you everything if you love His Son, and you must love His Son, He gives you everything freely, as a free grant.
6/ Romans 8: 33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
At this point you must remember how this chapter begins and it is used right here. In Verse 1, it says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, and right here in Verse 33 He has given you a confirmation of that, for He says, if you don’t believe you are in the place of condemnation. I want to ask you a question. Who is it that will condemn us? Who can possibly condemn us? If God justifies us, who is there that can condemn us? God is the judge of all—God is the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court has passed on your case, I guess it is settled. The Supreme Court has acted, for God is Supreme, and it says, it is God who justifieth. That means to clear you of everything, and if the Judge has cleared us, who is left to condemn us?
7/ Let us look at a very wonderful verse.
Acts 13: 39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
And by Him—that is by Christ—by Him all that believe.
That is not the folks that do the very best they can—or the folks who join the church, but all who believe, and we have to hold it down to that. Nine out of ten folks that you ask if they are saved will say, “I am doing the best I can.” God doesn’t save that kind. All that believe are justified, from how many things? All things. If you are justified from all things—who can find anything with which to condemn you?
8/ Now let us turn to the chapter that everybody likes to use.
Revelations 12: 10 I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Here in the tribulation, Satan is accusing those who are preaching the Gospel—the 144,000. Here he is the accuser, and he will be cast out of Heaven, out of his domain in the end of the tribulation. But actually, I believe he is doing the very same thing today. You remember what he did to job.
Job 1: 8 -11 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Here, Satan accuses Job to God. He didn’t do it until God mentioned Job—the devil wouldn’t dare to do that, but God said, have you seen Job? The devil replied, yes, but you have put a hedge about Job and I cannot touch him. Then the devil said, if thou wilt let me touch Job and take away all that belongs to him, he will curse Thee to Thy face, Verse 11 God said, go and do it, but don’t touch his body. He took everything he had in the world, Job said, Job 1: 21 Naked came I out of my mother’s womb and
naked shall I return thither.
Don’t you see, the devil was proved a liar? He said, he will curse thee to Thy face, but Job didn’t do it—so one of the main things we learn about Satan in the book of Job is that he is a liar, and when he accuses people, he lies.
9/ Then again, God asked him if he had seen Job, and he said, yes, Job 2: 4 - 6 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
But you touch Job’s body and he will curse thee—skin for skin. Let me touch his body, Satan said. God said, yes, but don’t take his life. Then he left Job scraping himself for a little comfort on an ash heap with boils all over his body. I suppose he thought at the time that a boil was the worst thing in the world. So he left Job there a wreck—a physical wreck. Yet in all that, Job did not condemn nor blaspheme the Lord. Again Satan was found to be a liar. When he accuses the child of God of certain things before the Father, he is a liar.
10/ What if Satan does accuse us before the Father. What if he turns and says, just look at some of the things that Christians have done down there. It is not only the fact that Jesus Christ died for us, but the fact that He is now seated in Heavenly places interceding for us. What happens if Satan comes to God the Father, and says, look at that person—Mary Smith or John Jones down there on earth. They are Christians, they are folks who have believed in Jesus Christ, and look what they are doing—look how terrible they are—look how filthy they are, But Jesus Christ says, I know all about it—they are mine, I am here to intercede for them. I died for them—I have paid the price for that sin. It was put upon Me. Satan tries to bring things up but God says, He has cleared us of all these things. Do you know the devil can’t prove that you are guilty. Oh, I believe he knows he has a hopeless job. He knows what the Bible says, that our sins have been put away. That God has cleared us of every charge. You say, surely the devil can prove that I am guilty of some things—no, the devil can’t prove that because the Lord Jesus Christ took your guilt. Was He not made sin? Again I can’t get away from this verse.
I John 4: 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
And of course, Colossians 2: 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11/ In the Greek, WHO DARES ACCUSE US NOW? THE JUDGE HIMSELF HAS DECLARED US FREE FROM SIN. If anyone wants to point at your sin, they have to point at Him—and who would dares to do that?
I Peter 2: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Who dares to accuse Him? Yet, He is the one to accuse. He took our sin. He suffered for it.
12/ Hebrews 10: 11, 12 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Hebrews contrasts the work of Jesus Christ with the work of the priest in the Old Testament, and every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sin—but this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the right hand of God.
Notice, when Jesus Christ went to Heaven, He sat down because the work was done. Did you ever do a hard day’s labor, then you came home, you were able to sit down and rest—it felt so good. Jesus Christ was made sin for us, He was crucified, resurrected from the dead, and He ascended into Heaven, and He went home—He sat down, because the work is done. And to accuse any believer of something that he has done, is saying first of all that the work of Jesus was not done—it is not sufficient. But His work is done, so if you want to accuse anyone, you must point the finger at Jesus Christ, you must accuse Him. Never accuse one of His children.
13/ Then notice, He is interceding for us, but He is seated as He intercedes. He doesn’t have to work up a lather—He doesn’t have to get all steamed up when accusations are made against us, because the work is done. He just keeps saying—I died for that person, I died and paid the price for that sin.
We are free, yes, free indeed!
AMEN
Ref: 07/04/1965 / 30 - THE DEVIL’S HOPELESS JOB / 10/19/2021
No comments:
Post a Comment