Luke 10:18-20 (NKJV)
18 And Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
What does that mean and how can you put it to use in your life?
Quoted from sharing-bread.com:
“The seventy-two had just returned to Jesus filled with exuberant joy over the success of their mission. Jesus begins our verses for today by turning their attention to what should be the proper source of their joy – the inclusion of their names written in heaven. He begins by stating that He had witnessed the adversary falling like lightning from heaven referring His listeners back to the prophet Isaiah:12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." 15 But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit. Isaiah 14:12-15 (NIV)
Satan wanted to be God – that wasn’t going to work (to say the least!). The creature was cast by the Creator from heaven and God’s glorious presence for his pride and arrogance - he now “roamed through the earth going back and forth in it” (Job 1:7). How often man makes this same mistake, in our pride and presumption we desire to be our own god. We ascend and enthrone ourselves on the mountain of our own hearts and God says, this isn’t going to work (to say the least!)
I love what Spurgeon states: “O believer, learn to reject pride, seeing that thou hast no ground for it. Whatever thou art, thou hast nothing to make thee proud. The more thou hast, the more thou art in debt to God; and thou shouldst not be proud of that which renders thee a debtor.” Amen!
Maybe we could learn a little something from Satan’s mistake. Pride is an insidious monster creeping into our lives in many different ways! Keep an eye out for this deadly foe. Jesus has given His followers His permission and power to overcome the adversary’s strength. There was and is nothing earthly to compare to housing the all achieving power of the precious Holy Spirit within our “jars of clay” hence the joy the seventy-two exuberated. Yet Jesus tells them their joy should not be in this power, as great as it is, but in the fact that their names were written in heaven. This is true for us today too. Heaven is our home. Heaven is where our treasure lies. Heaven is where we will receive our glorified bodies and remain throughout eternity in total bliss and enjoyment; peaceful and untroubled. We will indeed be undisturbed well-beings. This peace can only be the result of our reconciliation with God. Paul gives us insight into this truth in Romans:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)
God’s Word is eternal and stands firm in the heavens (Psalm 119:89-90). His promises to us are true and secure. Our hope in Him will never disappoint. We are told by Jude: 24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-- 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen Jude 1:24-25 (NIV)
I love how the Bible Knowledge expounds on these verses: “Victory over apostasy is found in Jesus Christ! He is the One who will “keep” believers. Christ will present believers to His Father without fault and with great joy—joy both for Himself and for them. Here is the greatest theme of victory to be sounded, the highest note of praise and adoration possible, and the greatest assurance for the redeemed. Jude attributes to God—to the only God our Savior... glory, majesty, power, and authority, which are all available to believers through the Victor, Jesus Christ our Lord. And this exalted position is true of God in eternity past, in the present, and for all eternity in the future.” Praise Him! Paul affirms beautifully the certainty of the believer’s salvation in the closing of the eighth chapter of Romans bringing a wonderful closure to our “bread” for today: 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 8:33-39 (NIV)
What we ca Glean
We must be careful about pride entering into our life. “He that is down need fear no fall, he that is low no pride.” John Bunyan
Our joy should be rooted in our salvation. “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.” Leon Bloy “The opposite of joy is not sorrow. It is unbelief.” Leslie Weatherhead
Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus my Lord.” Unquote
I hope this spoke to you in a way that brings you closer to God the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. I have found in my own life, the more I learn and the close I get to God the smaller I become and yet I get stronger. I'm not stronger because of me but because of Him. It's all Him!
May you always walk in the truth. 🙏
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