TITLE: Christmas Is A Declaration of War 11-25-2013
Text: Revelation 12:1–12 Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. 5 She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days. 7 Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. 8 And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. 9 This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. 10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens: “It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.”
Topic: In Revelation 12 John cryptically describes his vision of what was really happening when Jesus was being born. It was a declaration of war. The devil’s forces were in an uproar. This war is very significant and relevant to us in our everyday lives and has changed our future to a great degree. There are no “Conscientious Objectors” in this war. We are already involved.
A. Jesus birth was clearly a declaration of war. This world clearly was the devil’s domain. Now God had the audacity to set His foot here?!
1. Satan is cast out of heaven and is for some reason allowed to come to Earth. Why? I do not know.
2. The devil’s current troop strength and capability to make war is a matter of great concern to us.
3. To come up with an answer, I could resort to my theology books.
4. I could mimic other preachers I have heard calling him a roaring lion who has been to the dentist office and has had all his teeth pulled –a toothless foe.
B. But let me tell you of my experience in the battle.
1. I’m the kid who got beat up a bunch in school (sooprise, sooprise, sooprise). One reason is my father never allowed me to back down from any confrontation what so ever. He taught me it was cowardice. So today, I’m not afraid of things of which I should fear. (That is why some of you scratch your head and ask each other, “Why does he cave dive. Why does he drive sot fast. What was he doing preaching on the street in that neighborhood? Or, witnessing in that dark alley-way? He said what to that drug dealer? That’s crazy! He didn’t do that when the Mexican Police tried to extort money from him (Yes I did do it, because I am one “Loco Gringo” as they know me in the cave country of Mexico).
2. In my encounters with the devil (I’ve had a bunch, on a bunch of different levels. Some have been quite dramatic). I have never been afraid. I get mad. I get mad because I see the pain, the havoc, the disaster and harm the devil has brought into lives and homes. I see the children he has harmed. I see the very sting of death.
3. I wish I could say I emerge victorious every time I enter into battle, but I do not. I have won some. I have lost some. I have gotten beat-up a time or two.
4. Here is what I know: Scott Ghan has zero strength. Jesus said, John 15:5b “... apart from me you can do nothing.” You don’t need to tell me twice. The devil laughs at me.
--I remember one demonized girl, who had never met me, who lived in Arkansas, openly mocked me in front of another Christian minister, naming specific moral failures of my youth.
5. But the name of Jesus, Oh the name of Jesus! I love to say it this way when I do battle:
--Jesus the Messiah or Christ: Yeshua Ha Mashiach,
--Jesus of Nazareth: Yeshua ha-Notzri,
--The Way: HaDerech, --The Truth: HaEmet, --The Life: HaChayim,
--The Living One: HeChai,
--The Holy One of God: Kedosh Ha-Elohim
--Jesus, Son of David: Yeshua Ben David (then I switch to Greek) ἐλέησόν με (Have mercy on me),
--Savior of the World: Moshia HaOlam, .
--I AM THAT I AM: Ehyeh asher Ehyeh, .
--Sinner’s frined: φίλος ἁμαρτωλῶν
6. I find when I speak the name of my friend, Yeshua Ha Mashiach, the devil, and or his forces, get quite. They hide hoping I will go away and let them be –let them hold their ground.
7. This is the case when I am praying for healing, deliverance, about someone’s bout with depression or any of the devil’s foul work.
8. If I keep pushing, if I keep speaking The Name, If I keep driving, if I keep faith, if the person will stay with me, if like the man at the “Pool of Bethesda” they really want to get well, if they will give all the faith they’ve got, if they will lift their eyes to Jesus Yeshua Ha Mashiach, the Savior, the Healer, the Deliverer, there is no doubt, 100% of the time, we win.
9. I’m not a blame assigner, but it doesn’t always work out this way.
10. Some of the time, people want a nice short hospital bedside prayer which is appropriate so the nurse can wheel them on out to their treatment, or they want me to leave the room in time for t hem to watch “Ellen”.
11. Sometimes I’m weak. I lack confidence, time, the fire in the belly for the fight. Sometimes I’m just not sensitive enough to what the Holy spirit wants to do in that situation. Isn’t that awful?
C. Bottom line...God’s Kingdom doesn’t always win these minor fights. No honest Christian minister can say the Kingdom always does. I know all the pat-answers, but no good answers.
1. I can only tell you this: Keep in the fight! Don’t give up! We win because God wins!
2. Indeed Jesus has already secured the victory when He died on the cross, defeated the devil on his own turf in the bowels of the Earth, burst forth up through Joseph’s tomb the Victorious Conqueror over the devil, sin, death, sickness and everything else which had defeated mankind and had laid waste to God’s perfect and beautiful creation.
VI. CHALLENGE
A. Christmas was a declaration of war. That’s a bit different that the snow globe scene playing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” on your mantle.
1. Christmas tells me God loved me enough for God to wage an all-out war for me.
2. Let Christmas be your personal declaration of war against the lingering devilish strong-holds which still remain in your life and in your home.
