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Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil

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 "…the Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil."      (1 John 3:8)

This is a very powerful verse and easy to give our "Amen!" to, but have we considered it's implications?  We might be tempted to think that this verse is talking about all the bad stuff in the world that we see night after night when we turn on the news or pick up a newspaper.  The world is filled with corruption and evil and it's wonderful to think about Jesus doing away with all that.  But this verse has a more immediate and jarring implication attached to it… whatever is in my life that has been stained by sin or bears the stamp of this world system is also targeted for destruction.

Scripture teaches that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one."  Do I really believe God cares little about my interaction with a world system that is under the control of the Devil?

"We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one."  (1 John 5:19)

We Christians are especially good at deceiving ourselves when it comes to this subject.  We embrace more of this world system than any of us care to admit.  So as I read this verse, it really dawns on me… this is personal; there are many, many things that are in my life that Jesus plans on destroying!  Aside from the very obvious things that I have no trouble naming as "sin", there are the many inconspicuous things that fly under the radar because I think they're normal… these include the various ideas, lusts and ways of this world system that have nothing to do with God, and are actually a part of "the works of the Devil."  They will be clearly shown to be what they are when the final judgment comes and none of it finds it's way into heaven!  This is why John writes: "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."  (1 John 2:15-17)

In other words, all the things that I build on the sinking sand of this world system are targeted to be destroyed by Jesus Christ.  The world and it's desires will pass away, and beyond that, God's Word tells me that Jesus came to this world with a set mission of undoing, of destroying all the Devil has done.  There's a death sentence on this world system, and because we so often embrace this place, on many of the things we love!

Tags: 1 John 3:8, Do not love the world, the man who does the will of God lives forever, the Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil