27th Mar 26 | 16:08
Studies by Book
02 Acts 14 08-20 THE MINISTRY AT LYSTRA 34 Acts 14 15-17 The devil defeated
📖 Acts 14:08-20
34 – Mon, 24 Nov 2025 – *The devil defeated*- _Acts 14:08-20_ – THE MINISTRY AT LYSTRA – _Colossians 02:14-15_
_Acts 14:15-17 and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the *same nature* as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, (16) who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. (17) Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."_
We continue to consider how Jesus has saved us and brought us into His nature. The old nature that we inherited from Adam is the nature of death.
We have looked at four aspects of death.
- Alienation from God
- Alienation from ourselves
- Alienation from one another
- Alienation from creation
The fifth death that has come on us is the death that the devil placed on us. When we sinned, we rejected God and we chose to go our own way. _Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; *We have turned, every one, to his own way;* And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all._
We now knew good and evil, and we thought we were free from God's authority. We thought we had freedom, but we came brutally into the captivity of the devil to do his will. _II Timothy 2:26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, *having been taken captive by him to do his will*._ / _John 8:34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, *whoever commits sin is a slave of sin*._
Instead of being free, we became slaves.
The devil has taken us into his captivity of death. _Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death *He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, (15) and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage*._
We are held in the bondage of sin, into which the devil, who exercises the power of death, has ensnared us.
The power of sin is the law. _I Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law._ This is because we could not fulfil the law in the flesh. _Romans 8:3 For what *the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh*, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,_
So, we see how one law of death leads to another law of death that has overcome us.
God has delivered us from these laws of death that are a part of our nature. Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh, and He condemned sin in the flesh. *There was no sin in Jesus, neither inherited sin nor committed sin.*
_Luke 1:34-35 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" (35) And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, *that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God*._
The virgin birth is not just a miraculous sign — it is God’s way of ensuring that the Saviour is both truly human (able to represent us) and truly holy (able to save us). Without the virgin birth, Jesus would have inherited the same sinful nature as Adam’s descendants. With the virgin birth, He stands apart as the spotless Lamb of God. _John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!_
Jesus was tempted at all points, yet He was without sin. _Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but *was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin*._ / _I John 3:5 And you know that *He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin*._
Jesus became our perfect sacrifice. _Hebrews 9:14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?_
By offering Himself as the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus set us free from the clutches of the devil. _Colossians 2:14-15 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (15) *Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.*_
The handwriting that stood against us was the law. Jesus fulfilled the law in His flesh. _Hebrews 10:5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU DID NOT DESIRE, BUT *A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME*._ / _Hebrews 10:7 THEN I SAID, 'BEHOLD, I HAVE COME—IN THE VOLUME OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME—*TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.*' "_
```The devil has been defeated and made a public spectacle. We are set free from the death inflicted on us by the devil.```