Jesus Our Savior

Savior comes from the word sozo# 4982; a deliverer, i.e. God or Christ: Sozo means to save, deliver or protect; heal, preserve, save and make whole.

Deliver  comes from a word meaning to snatch away, defend, escape, pluck, preserve, recover, rescue.

King David displayed in the natural what Christ accomplished for us in the spiritual.

     Jesus is the one sent to deliver us from the power of darkness ie., satans authority or delegated influence over us.  In 2 Samuel 22 we read the words of King David's song to the Lord on the day when he delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. The first verse reads, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I take refuge;....David was well aquainted with knowing the Lord has his deliverer. Deliverer in this verse is defined as 'to slip out, escape, deliver, carry away safe.'

     Anyone who has walked with the Lord for any length of time has experienced the Lord making a way of escape or even being carried by the Lord to a safe place.

     Jesus not only delivers us from something such as sin, satan or our self as the case may be, He came to deliver to us the message of God's love, He came to deliver the Kingdom to us and  He in turn delivers us (the kingdom) to God the Father. How awesome is that!

       

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.  Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 1 Corinthians 15: 22-24

The greatest manifestation of that rule and reign is love. Consider this; the name David means loving. So while Jesus could have been born anywhere he was born in a city whose very name means “loving”. For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Have you accepted Jesus, Gods gift of love to you? 

Immanuel 

Born of a virgin, sent from above

Laid in a manger, the Son of God's love 

To a people in darkness He freed long ago

Bet even with this they still didn’t know 

He was the Messiah that was promised to come

Yet they doubted and questioned if He was the One.

He came in humility, meekness and love

Not what they expected at the birth of God's Son 

They didn’t understand the reflection they saw

Of the heart of the Father in the face of His Son.

God's glory disguised in frail human flesh

to show us Gods love is why He was sent. 

They looked for a hero who was great in their eyes

To wipe away tears and take away sighs

Groaning under the weight of their sin

Not yet understanding by faith we come in

To the kingdom of God prepared long ago

That would first reign in hearts before it would show 

God kept His word and fulfilled what he said

For Jesus was the seed that bruised satans head 

He restored mans authority to rule and to reign

He took on our guilt and freed us from shame 

We again walk with Father in the cool of the day

Through Jesus the Truth the Life and the Way 

His name is Immanuel, God dwelling with man

In frail human flesh for this was His plan 

To reconcile to himself all those who receive

The gift of His Son and chose to believe. 

Jesus is the Messiah God promised would come

The radiance of God’s glory and only begotten Son.

 

Sharon

His Authority

I know along with countless other dear brothers and sisters in Christ, my husband and I have been traversing through some very rough terrain, not just in one area of our life but in all areas of our life for the past several years.  Contrary to what the enemy would have us believe, it is because we heeded the voice of the Lord and followed Him.  I am so, so grateful that despite all the interference the enemy has used to keep me from hearing the Lord in the midst of a dark time, I know in my heart I have discerned not only His voice, but His way as well.  I also know that the ability to do that has come because I set my face to seek the Lord in the time of prosperity which is what we are instructed to do in His word.

Psalm 32:6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.

Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.

One of the things the Lord has made very clear to me during this time is that He is preparing a people who He can trust with His authority. The measure of His authority we exercise upon this earth in order to advance His kingdom will be in proportion to the measure of His authority we are submitted to.  The more we know His love, the more willing we are to submit. Selah. 

When we get saved we are immediately delivered from the power of sin, from its influence/authority over us, legally speaking, but the outward manifestation of that occurs over a process of time as we do what is necessary to strengthen our spirit man so that our soul comes into greater and greater submission rather than being in control.

In the same way, coming to operate in the authority of the Kingdom is something that is incremental over time. As children we have the possibility and probability of one day driving a car, but we aren’t handed the car keys until we have proven we know how to operate a motor vehicle. In the same way the scripture says, ‘to those who believe on His name He gives the right to become the children of God’, but we are also told in Galatians, ’that a son differs not from a slave although he owns the whole estate but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father’.  I believe the church as a whole has been in a concentrated season of being proved by the Lord to see who will come to a place of a mature son of the kingdom and who will continue to wander in the wilderness pining for the fulfilling of their fleshly appetites.

Just as I have heard it said, this isn’t your grandfathers America, well, this isn’t your grandfather’s religion either. God’s eyes have been roaming to and fro throughout the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.

There is a scripture in Isaiah which I believe the Lord is using to define the generation of believers that are emerging in the last days (which I believe we are in) that reads:

Arise shine for your light has come

And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

For behold darkness shall cover the earth

 and deep darkness the people

But the Lord will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you. 

The Gentiles shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Isaiah 60:1-3

I believe that the measure of His glory that will be seen upon us will be in proportion to the measure of His authority we walk in, but that stems from the measure of our submission to His authority which comes from the revelation of His love. I’m afraid in coming days we are going to see an even greater number of ministers lose their ministry because they have not excercised His authority over their own life first to drive out the giants of greed and self indulgence but have used it to advance their kingdom rather than His. God is raising up  and a new company of believers who have sought the Lord not for His power and authority (His hand) but His face, His heart, for His Presence alone.  As a result, they will be rooted and grounded in love and will comprehend what is the width, length, depth and height of His love and be filled with the fullness of God. Remember, faith works by love.