... that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb. 2:14 [KJV]
When you interview for a job you not only want to know, "How much does it pay?" you also want to know, "What benefits come with the position."
To ignore the benefits is to leave 20% of your pay on the table. No new hire would ignore such a benefit.
But as Christians we do this all the time. Jesus has paid for the wages of sin. We accept salvation, but ignore the benefits associated with it.
Yesterday we discovered that Jesus destroyed the works of the devil. He also destroyed the devil himself.
The same illustration of an ashtray describes the meaning of the word "destroy" here. When you drop an ashtray and it breaks into pieces, there is a possibility that you may be able to glue it back together. But if it is crushed, and literally broken into a million pieces, there is no way it can be restored.
That's the degree to which Jesus destroyed not only Satan's work, but Satan himself. Satan has been "rendered entirely useless" and "made of no effect."
So, don't allow Satan to intimidate you any longer. He roars as a lion, but he ain't got no teeth! Satan can no longer keep you in bondage to any sin, because the sin and the author of sin have been crushed, literally obliterated. Are you getting this?
Satan is no longer your problem. Jesus destroyed him at Calvary. So, why are you still dabbling in sin? Christ has set you free. The only reason you're still doing that sin is because you want to. You have not trained your flesh to live godly. Your spirit has been renewed. Now you need to renew your mind and discipline your body. Tell it you're in charge (you are spirit), kill it, bury it and make it behave. If Paul had to die daily, so do you.
But the key is to recognize that you are no longer under any bondage, because the work and the author of that work have been destroyed. Hallelujah!
