“I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold; Like a flock in the midst of its pasture They will be noisy with men. The Breaker goes up before them; They break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it. So their king goes on before them, And the LORD at their head.” (Micah 2:12-13-note)
CHRIST OUR BREAKER BREAKS THE POWER OF SIN - Not a son or daughter of Adam's race has escaped the chains of sin and death, for sin entered the world and spread death to all, because all sinned (Ro 5:12-note). We were all born in chains and in slavery. Sin held us fast in bondage as children of a fallen race. The first Adam broke God's Law resulting in a curse (Gal 3:10-note), but the Last Adam (Jesus) kept God's law and was BROKEN, "having become a curse for us (in our place)" (1Cor 15:45-note, Gal 3:13-note). The first Adam made a "breach (a break)," in our relationship with God, but the Last Adam, CHRIST THE BREAKER, repaired the breach between us and God by being made "sin on our behalf," (2Cor 5:21-note) so that "He might bring us to God" (1Pe 3:18-note, cf Ro 5:1-2-note) and we might die to the power of "sin and live to righteousness" (1Pe 2:24-note, Ro 6:6-note, Ro 6:11-note). The BREAKER has broken the power of sin, so that "sin shall no longer be master over us, for we are not under (the power of the) law but under (controlled by the power of) grace" (Ro 6:14-note), for "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (Jn 8:36-note) As Spurgeon said "By faith in Christ (the BREAKER), the ruling power of sin is immediately BROKEN, so that every sin of every kind may be overcome by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ." John Piper adds that "The faith that unites us to Christ for justification (declared forever righteous in Christ) also BREAKS the power of sin in our lives. Woe to us if we try to get right with God by faith alone (Eph 2:8-note), and then try to become good people (be progressively set apart or sanctified) by other means (other than by faith - Gal 2:20-note, Gal 3:3-note). Trusting Christ (the BREAKER) for all that God is for us in Him is the link to God's justifying grace, and trusting Christ for all that God is for us in Him is the link to God's sanctifying grace. We are pardoned (justified) and we are purified (sanctified)--by the same kind of faith." Indeed, for those who have been set free, "The life of grace is the death of sin, and the growth of grace the decay of sin." (Brooks) Therefore, let us "praise the Name of God (CHRIST OUR BREAKER) with song" (Ps 69:30-note)…
AND CAN IT BE
Written by Charles Wesley
Sung by Steve Green
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
CHRIST OUR BREAKER has broken the chains of sin, of the law, of death and of the devil. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness into His marvelous light, from the dominion of Satan to God (Col 1:13-note, Acts 26:18-note), out of the law gate of conviction and condemnation and through the Gospel gate of conversion (Ro 8:1-note). Our BREAKER has led us into "the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Ro 8:21-note), for "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2Cor 3:17-note) And remember that true freedom is not the right to do as we please, but the (supernatural) power to do as we should! True freedom is found in a willing submission to the BREAKER (Ro 12:1-note), Whose grace emancipates and captivates, thus enabling us to lovingly declare "Truly I am your servant. You have freed me from my chains." (Ps 116:16-note) "Now that you have been set free from the power of sin and have been enslaved to God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification (daily growing in grace) and its end, eternal life." (Ro 6:22-note) As Piper explains "There are no neutral people. There are only slaves of sin and slaves of God. Becoming a Christian is to have the sovereign Captain of the battleship of righteousness ("Christ The Breaker") commandeer the slave ship of unrighteousness, put the ship-captain, Sin, in irons; break the chains of the slaves; and give them such a spiritual sight of grace and glory that they freely serve the new Sovereign forever as the irresistible Joy and Treasure of their lives (Col 2:3NLT-note)." So "let all who take refuge in (CHRIST THE BREAKER) be glad. Let them ever sing for joy… over His Victory" (Ps 5:11-note, Ps 20:5-note) because…
Our BREAKER can still a raging storm,
One Word can calm an angry sea;
So when we put our trust in Him,
He BREAKS our chains and SETS US FREE.
Hallelujah! Amen!
And yet dear child of God, you may still find yourself shackled by some besetting sin (Heb 12:1-note), bound by chains of an evil habit which has a hold on you that you never dreamed possible, until you tried to shake off "the viper," only to find that the cords of your own sin held you fast (Pr 5:22-note, cf Jn 8:34-note, 2Pe 2:19-note). C H Spurgeon understood the believer's life long battle with Sin, writing that "Even the regenerate find that they have a hard struggle with the flesh (Gal 5:17-note, 1Pe 2:11-note). How can we win our way in face of the direct opposition of our fallen nature? Beloved, "THE BREAKER has gone up before" us (Micah 2:13-note). The Lord Jesus Christ assumed our nature (Jn 1:1,14, Ro 8:3-note), and was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Heb 4:15-note, Heb 2:18-note); He overcame the adversary at every point of the conflict (Mt 4:1-10-note, cf Ge 3:15-note), that through His victory we might be more than conquerors (Ro 8:37-note, cf 1Jn 5:4, 1Cor 15:57). He sends forth the Holy Spirit to renew us in the spirit of our minds (Jn 14:26-note, Jn 15:26-note, Eph 4:23-note); He takes the stony heart out of our flesh (Ezek 36:26-27-note "and puts His Spirit within us to cause us to walk in His ways"); He breaks the power of sinful habits; He rules the will (Php 2:13NLT-note = "giving us the desire and the power" to obey Him), He governs the affections (Gal 5:24KJV-note), He enlightens the understanding (Jn 8:12, Eph 5:8-note, Eph 1:18-note), He sanctifies the soul (1Pe 1:2-note, 2Th 2:13-note, Acts 26:18-note); and thus, though weak in ourselves, we are made strong in Him (2Cor 12:9-note, 2Cor 12:10-note; 2Ti 2:1-note); so strong that we shall not perish in the wilderness (Jn 10:28-note), but shall pursue our pilgrimage till we cross the Jordan, and stand in our lot (inheritance) at the end of the days (2Ti 4:7-8-note). Because THE BREAKER has gone up before us, we shall break through the ramparts (defenses, strongholds) of sinfulness (2Cor 10:4-5KJV-note), and cut our way to holiness (Heb 12:14NET-note)." Indeed the BREAKER "breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free; His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me." (C Wesley) Piper comments that "Wesley's hymn is right: the blood of Christ obtained for us not only the CANCELLATION of sin, but also the CONQUERING of sin. The is the grace we live under--the SIN-CONQUERING, not just SIN-CANCELING, grace of God. Triumph over the sin (that so easily entangles us) is all of grace--past grace, canceling sin's guilt through the Cross of Christ, and future grace, conquering sin's power through the Spirit of Christ (Ro 8:9-note, Ro 8:13-note). That is why the only fight we fight is the fight of faith (1Ti 6:12-note, cf Eph 6:11-12-note). We fight to be so satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus that temptation to sin loses its power over us." "Look to the wounds of Christ, they will heal your wounds! Look to the death of Christ, it will be the death of your doubts! Look to the life of Christ, it shall be the life of your hopes! Look to the glory of Christ, it shall be the glory of your souls here, and the glory of your souls forever and ever!" (Spurgeon) May Charles Wesley's hymn be our prayer…
O for a heart to praise my God,
A heart from sin set free;
A heart that always feels Thy blood,
So freely shed for me. Amen
(C Wesley).
C H Spurgeon - "The Breaker goes up before them" - Inasmuch as Jesus has gone up before us, things remain not as they would have been had He never passed that way. He has conquered every foe that obstructed the way. Cheer up now thou faint-hearted warrior. Not only has Christ traveled the road, but He has slain all our enemies. Do you dread sin? He has nailed it to His cross (Col 2:14-15-note). Do you fear death? He has been the death of Death (1Cor 15:55). Are you afraid of hell? He has barred it against the advent (coming) of any of His children. They shall never see the gulf of perdition. Whatever foes may be before the Christian, they are all overcome (cf 1Jn 5:4-5, Jn 16:33, Gal 6:14-note, Ro 6:12-note, Heb 2:14-15-note). There are lions, but their teeth are broken (cf Da 6:16-21, 22-note); there are serpents, but their fangs are extracted; there are rivers, but they are bridged or fordable (cf Isa 43:2); there are flames, but we wear that matchless garment which renders us invulnerable to fire (Da 3:16-18-note; Da 3:23-24, 25-26-note, Da 3:27-note). The sword that has been forged against us is already blunted; the instruments of war which the enemy is preparing have already lost their point. (cf Isa 54:17) God has taken away in the Person of Christ all the power that anything can have to hurt us (cf Lk 12:4-5). Well then, the army may safely march on, and you may go joyously along your journey, for all your enemies are conquered beforehand. What shall you do but march on to take the prey? They are beaten, they are vanquished; all you have to do is to divide the spoil (cp Zech 14:1). You shall, it is true, often engage in combat; but your fight shall be with a vanquished foe. His head is broken (Ge 3:15); he may attempt to injure you, but his strength shall not be sufficient for his malicious design (cf 2Cor 2:11). Your victory shall be easy, and your treasure shall be beyond all count (cf 1Cor 15:57, Mt 6:19-21-note).
Proclaim aloud the Saviour’s fame,
Who bears the Breaker’s wond’rous Name;
Sweet Name; and it becomes Him well,
Who breaks down earth, sin, death, and hell.
Since Christ our Breaker has indeed broken "the power of Cancelled Sin" (Romans 6:12-note) let us sing as men and women who have forever been set free.
O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing
Written by Charles Wesley
Sung by David Crowder
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.
(See all 19 Stanzas!!)