The Victory at Calvary
Introduction:
A As we talk/understand Spiritual Warfare must start & end at the cross of Christ.
1 Satan has no right, authority over the believer no matter what he may claim or contend.
a He is a trouble-maker, trespasser on God’s earth and has claimed to be the king of this Earth.
aa He’s not my king, master, lord, object of my allegiance or my loyalty.
bb To believe He is the king of this world is treason to the Cross because Jesus refused to bow down & worship Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4.8-10)
cc Doing so, He could avoided the cross, betrayal, rejection, despisement.
b Most of see the cross for the sacrifice Christ made for our sins, demonstration of God’s unconditional love for us (Certainly true.)
aa But there was an unseen cosmic spiritual war waged that day.
bb On Calvary Jesus defeated Satan, came off the cross victorious over the devil and his demonic brood .
c God gave the verdict of Satan’s crime in Eden at the fall of man and found him guilty.
aa The judgment was given in Gen. 3.15.
bb The judgement was implemented on Calvary.
cc As strong as the devil is, has been overcome and defeated by one stronger!
2 The devil has never been nor will he ever be equal in power with God.
a Some say, “I can’t overcome the temptation of the devil. The devil’s got a hold of me and won’t turn loose. The devil makes me do bad things.”
aa Those who say/think/believe these things do not fully understand what took place at calvary.
bb The powers of darkness were conquered at the cross.
b This conquering crescendos in Colossians 2.15.
B At calvary, all of Satan’s hate toward mankind, God, the Messiah erupted.
1 Satan had been trying to kill Jesus for the last 33 years before the Crucifixion.
a At His birth he tried using the tyrant Herod to give all the boy babies under 2 years of age. . . failed.
b He tempted Jesus in the wilderness to stray off the Father’s plan . . . failed.
c He set before the Lord the lusts of the flesh, eye, and the pride of life . . . failed.
d He tempted Jesus’ body, soul, and spirit and Jesus overcome with the Word of God!
2 Jesus came to save you, but make no mistake He came here to do battle with Satan.
a He came from heaven to earth, invaded the sphere of Satan’s influence/territory.
aa He came unwelcomed by the masses and hated by Satan.
bb He came to overcome the enemy!
b In Jesus inaugural address at the synagogue in Nazareth He quoted Is. 61.1
aa Jesus saw humanity as bound, blind, brokenhearted and bruised and behind enemy lines.
bb He saw the disastrous effects of Satan’s control on peoples lives, health, well-being.
3 Through Jesus ministry He was constantly confronting the forces of hell and casting them out!
a He opened the eyes of the blind and He’s still opening the eyes of those blinded by Satan.
aa He still sets the captive free.
bb Jesus saw the destructive power of Satan and did something about it! (Hallelujah!)
b The Bible is full of verses that reveal the true meaning of why Jesus came to the world.
aa 1 John 3.8; Heb. 2.14
bb When He was arrested, Jesus said to His arresters, Luke 22.53.
cc The world Jesus ministered in was a world dominated by Satan: 1 John 5.19
c The apostle Paul had no doubt about what took place on the cross (not just redemption of sins but defeat of the devil).
aa Col. 2.6-15, gives us the spiritual picture of what happened in the cosmic war that raged on Calvary.
bb Paul shows us this in three main things that happened at the cross that the natural eye couldn’t see.
I The Cross Disarmed Satan
A Ever since the fall of man in Eden, humanity had been bullied, enslaved, bondage, held hostage, reigned over.
1 Jesus came to spoil the devil’s plans. (Col. 2.15)
a “Disarmed” means “to spoil,” “to strip,” or “to rob.”
b The word is in the aorist form which means it’s a one-time-deal that will not be repeated. Once and for all disarming!
aa The devil isn’t getting a rematch; the battle has been forever decided.
bb The word picture in Col. 2.15, is of a fallen enemy who has been stripped of his sword, armor, shield, position, and wealth.
c Scripture teaches us that Satan as lost all his rights and authority over all those who have bowed at the foot of the cross and received the precious blood of Christ as atonement for their sin.
2 What did Jesus rob Satan of? Rom. 8.33-34 tells us that He robbed the devil of the right to accuse us.
a Rom. 8.33-34
b Satan has been robbed of his right to kill us!
c Satan has been robbed of his ownership of us and he has no weapon and no way to keep us.
B IL
II The Cross Displayed Satan
A Col. 2.15, “ . . . He made a public display of them . . .”
1 Some would say that it was Jesus who was made a public display on the cross.
a Indeed He was! Stripped of his garments, nailed to a cross, naked for all the world to see.
aa Mocked, ridiculed, “If you are God then come down off the cross.”
bb There was another public spectacle going on in the unseen realm.
b In the Spiritual realm (angels & demons to see) Christ exposed the devil and his demonic forces for what they really are.
aa The disguise of the “Angel of Light” had been removed and the devils true nature was exposed.
bb They saw him and his demons as the rotten, filthy, lying thieves they were.
2 Satan and all of his host flurried themselves in full furry against the seemingly helpless Son of God.
a Satan came as the destroyer, God killer, now I’ll have the throne!
b When the dust of battle had settled there stood an empy cross and an empty tomb!
aa Jesus defeated Satan on Satan’s home field, in front of his hometown crowd.
bb “public display” is the word picture for a billboard! Everyone saw it!
B Satan is forever a public spectacle of defeat when God’s people enforce/re-present Calvary’s victory.
III The Cross Defeated Satan
A In Pearl Harbor, the remains of the Arizona rest in the shallow water to remind us that something significant happened there, Alamo remains standing to remind us that something significant happened there, Craters at Ground Zero remain to remind that something happened there.
1 The hill of Calvary still stands, to remind that something significant happened there. (Death of Jesus, right?) Of course, but even more than that! The defeat of Satan.
a The Lord died to win the battle and He rose from the dead to enforce the victory.
b At the cross we see the fallen humanity, human sin, suffering, apathy.
aa It was our sinful condition that brought our Savior to the cross.
bb But behind our sins stood the principalities and powers of evil that had tempted, tricked, deceived, lied, manipulated. Strong-armed us to sin against God.
2 Jesus chose to die for His people because He knew the enemy as a strongman had a death grip on us.
a Our God is greater, stronger, higher than any other.
b He set the captives free from the stronger man because He is stronger!
c Philippians 2. 9-11
aa The authority the Devil had over creation was shattered at the Cross.
bb Col. 2.15, “triumphed.” means “a complete and irretrievable conquering.”
cc No coming back in the 10th inning; no shots made at the buzzer.
d The battle is over and has already been won! (He is defeated– We don’t have to re-defeat Satan; we re-present and re-enforce the victory of Calvary.)
B The question remains, “If Satan has been disarmed, displayed, and defeated at the cross, why is my life so far from victorious?”
1 You have not been saved, been to the cross, brought under the blood.
a If you’re not saved you’re fair game and it’s not even an even fight.
b Like a game at the carnival, it’s rigged so you can’t win.
c The only way you can win/ have victory is the application of the blood of Jesus to your sins.
2 Secondly, if you’re a believer, then the only way Satan can attack you is if have given him access into your life. (Permission & Authority to be there)
a Eph. 4.27
b If you have been living a rebellious life you have put a door mat out for the enemy to come and enslave you.
c Many Christians live in defeat, depression, discouragement that neither bring the Lord honor/glory/or service to Him.
aa Churches get filled with Christians who live under bondage and have become weak, lazy, scared, bound in the chains of legalism.
bb A church/Christians who live under these things are wasting the victory that Jesus secured at Calvary.
cc Jesus didn’t die to fill the church full with diseased, depressed people in bondage to the enemy.
Conclusion:
A There is victory in Jesus every day.
1 When Satan comes, we should be reminding him of our Savior, Victory of the Cross.
a If he accuses us we remind him of the forgiveness that we have received through Jesus.
b If he tries to tempt us, we let our Lord’s words fell him. (Scripture!)
2 If he touches you, your mind, your family, your body, we declare that he has no authority over God’s property.
B Pray
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