Light Steps: Let Loose in the Vault

Monday, November 20, 2006

Let Loose in the Vault

Let Loose In The Vault

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ -- Ephesians 1:3; King James Version

The great Scottish Bible expositor Alexander MacLaren once wrote: "We may have as much of God as we will. Christ puts the key of the treasure-chamber into our hand, and bids us take all that we want. If a man is admitted into the bullion vault of a bank and told to help himself, and comes out with one cent, whose fault is it that he is poor?"

This is an absolutely beautiful verse. Think of it, for those that are IN Christ, we are blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing. Nothing is held back. Nothing is put in reserve. Nothing is denied. All is given freely. However, it does stand to reason; if God the Father has given us His precious Son, what then will He withhold?

You may want to know exactly what spiritual blessings are. Here is a list; being chosen for salvation, being adopted as His children, the hope of living eternally with Christ, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the power to do God’s will, the gift OF the Spirit, forgiveness, insight, transformation, cleansing, and intimacy with God Almighty. WHAT A LIST! All this is for "whosoever" that will take it. It has been purchased at Calvary by the redeeming blood of the Messiah. It has been offered to all peoples. It can be claimed by any who "confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead" (Romans 10:9; KJV). Like the bullion in today’s illustration, it is ready to be taken.

The best thing is that these blessings are "spiritual blessings in heavenly places". That means they are not temporary. Originating and being maintained in heavenly places guarantees that they cannot be destroyed, stolen, or corrupted. Jesus understood that these great blessings would be offered. In Matthew 6:20 He said, "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal" (KJV).

I would say with surety that every believer wants these blessings. How, then, may we have them? According to the Scripture above, these wonderful gifts are "in Christ". One can determine that to claim this abundance, one must be in Christ (John 15). We must have a singular focus. According to Hebrews 12:2, we are to look "unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (KJV). Jesus didn't just open the vault; He completely BUSTED the door off!

Go ahead…take it…we’ve been let loose in the vault.

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This Says it for Me!

Every Christian is a contradiction to this old world. He crosses it at every point. He goes against the grain from beginning to end. From the day that he is born again until the day that he goes on to be with the Lord, he must stand against the current of a world always going the other way. God expects him to be "beside himself," "a fool for Christ's sake," "drunk on new wine." If he allows it, men will tone him down, steal the joy of his salvation, and reduce him to the dreary level of the general average. If the devil cannot keep us from being saved, he next endeavors to make average Christians of us, and in this he usually succeeds. He tames the holy recklessness of God's dare-saints until they sink into the drab pattern of most of us, "faultily faultless, icily regular, splendidly dull." The devil does not mind our joining church if we behave like most of those who are already inside. But when a real, wide-awake Christian breezes along, taking the Gospel seriously, the devil grows alarmed and begins plotting his downfall. He gets plenty of assistance right in the church, for many church folk do not like to have their Laodicean complacency upset by these who turn the world upside down. So they conspire with Satan to turn the young Christian's fever into a chill. There are always plenty of human wet blankets to smother the zealot's flame, and they have put out more spiritual fires than have all the skeptics and infidels. -- Vance Havner

A Little About Me...

I was born in South Boston, VA, but was raised on the state line in the Person Co., NC - Caswell Co., NC - Halifax Co., VA region. I always tell people you know you are a country boy when your idea of being a "multi-national" means you've been to three counties in your lifetime.

Enough of my geographical meanderings...I became a Christian (ask me about THAT!) at the age of 25 and have done my utmost to serve God since that day. I worked as an associate pastor for 4 1/2 years and now serve in the role of Executive Director of My Life Matters, where I've been since March 2005, and I also serve as the pastor of East Rock Community Church, a church plant, along with fellow elders, Brett Carver & Casey Adams, where we've been since June 2007.

I love to write. I share a devotion in our local paper each week. This blog site is really just an extension of my writing. I really hope to share the Word of God with people...any kind of people, every kind of person. I also do a weekly podcast called "Light Steps Live," which can be found on several platforms.

Thanks for "stopping by"! Y'all come back now, ya hear?