Overcoming the Enemy
Revelation 12:7-12 7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down-- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."
Intro: How might a person go about defeating a powerful enemy? Normally, we would turn to our physical resources (weapons, strength, etc.). However, the problem with this enemy is that he is invisible and you cannot touch him physically. In fact, his main tactic against us might be called psychological warfare. He wants to confuse us and take away our will to live a victorious life. He tries to remind of us our past failures and our weaknesses, so we will lose all confidence and live under a load of guilt. He tries to undermine what our Commander-in-Chief has told us, questioning his credibility and authority. He used that tactic on Eve in the Garden: “Did God really say not to eat from any tree in the garden?” What was the enemy trying to do? Of course God didn’t say they couldn’t eat from all of the trees! God only restricted them from one tree. The enemy was trying to cast doubt on God’s character. In his next words, he flat out contradicted God’s word. God told them they would die if they ate from the forbidden tree. However, the serpent said, “You will not surely die. God is holding out on you and wants to keep you from enjoying life.” You know the rest of the story. If not, see Gen. 3.
-So, how can we defeat such an evil, sneaky, clever, deceptive foe? It requires something more than we can find in ourselves. We will talk about how to overcome the enemy as we look a little deeper into this passage.
-Before we do, there are several views about when this war in heaven takes place. Some would say that Satan rebelled and was cast out of heaven, even before the creation of man, because he was present in the Garden to tempt Eve. Others say that since Satan appeared before God to accuse Job, and later in Zechariah 3 he accused Joshua the high priest, then he must not have been expelled from heaven yet. Therefore, it must have happened either when Christ did His work on the cross, or it will happen in the future to signal the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
-I can tell you my understanding of this chapter if you are interested (Jn 12:31;16:11); but, for now, I do not want to miss one of the most important thoughts of the passage.
Prop: Every believer can overcome the enemy, because of Jesus and what He has done for us.
Interrogative: How can we be sure of this?
TS: John reveals 3 warfare principles that will help every believer overcome the enemy.
I. We Win Because of the Passion of the Christ (11)
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb….”
-What is the significance of the blood of the Lamb? What did John have in mind when he used this phrase?
-Blood is not the most pleasant topic to discuss and generally does not make good dinner conversation. However, the Bible has a lot to say about blood. God said that He did not want anyone to eat blood. “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life” (Leviticus 17:11). This was God’s plan for Israel at that time. However, we find earlier references to blood. After Adam & Eve sinned, God made garments of skin for Adam & Eve to cover them. Most Bible teachers believe this is the first physical death. Animals were killed to provide a covering for Adam & Eve- first blood. A lamb was later killed by Abraham as a substitute for Isaac.
-Sometime later, when Israel was in slavery to Egypt, God sent 10 plagues against Egypt to show His power and to deliver His people from Pharaoh’s hand. The last plague was the death of the firstborn of all livestock and humans in Egypt. The only way the firstborn could be spared was for the household to kill a lamb and spread some of its blood on the top and both sides of the doorpost of their house. Then, God would not allow the destroyer to enter that home and strike down the firstborn. He would pass over the homes that were covered by the blood of the Lamb. The Passover Lamb provided a picture of what Jesus would do for us on the cross.
-In the NT, John the Baptist saw Jesus walking toward him and he said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Then, Paul actually called Jesus the Passover Lamb, who was sacrificed. Peter also said “He [God] paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” Finally, in Revelation, John refers to Jesus as the Lamb at least 30 times throughout the book, several times calling Him the Lamb that was slain.
-There should be very little doubt as to what John meant when he spoke of believers overcoming by the blood of the Lamb. The blood of the Lamb speaks specifically of the death of Jesus on the cross. Isaiah 53 was written over 700 years before Christ lived on this earth. Isaiah refers to Christ’s death, saying, “He was wounded for our transgressions and wrongdoings. He was bruised for our iniquities and sins, taking the punishment for our guilt. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.” Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
-Now, you might be wondering how this all relates to defeating the enemy of our souls. How exactly does the blood of the Lamb (the death of X) help us overcome the devil?
-V.10 of Rev. ch. 12 tells us that up until the time of this war in heaven, the devil, or Satan accused the saints before God day & night. The word devil means slanderer. It comes from a Greek word which literally means to throw across. His goal is to hurl accusations and throw insults at believers. Doing this before God day & night, he apparently was hoping to affect their standing with God. Remember Job? Satan tried to accuse Job of only serving God for what He could get out of Him. He had to keep changing his story, but basically charged that Job’s faith was only as strong as His wealth, health, and general prosperity. However, Job’s response to adversity was not what the devil expected. Two things stick in my mind. First, Job said, “Should we accept only the good things from God and not the bad?” Second, Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” See, trusting God will help us get through anything – even accusations and tests from the enemy.
-The blood of the Lamb is significant to the believer because the death of Jesus is what provided forgiveness for our sins. Heb. 9:22 says that without the shedding of blood (death) there is no forgiveness of sins. However, because Jesus the Lamb of God died to take away the sins of the world, forgiveness is available to all who ask for it.
-So, when Satan our adversary/enemy accuses us and brings up the failures and sins of our past, we can overcome him by pointing to Jesus. When he slanders us and tries to assassinate our character, we can plead guilty, we can plead the 5th, or we can plead the blood. The blood of the Lamb is our only plea. If we try to plead not guilty on our own merit, we cannot overcome. We must confess our sins to Jesus Christ, and He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all of the wrong we have ever thought or done.
-Because of the blood of the Lamb, the death of Jesus, our guilty verdict is changed to innocent when we repent. The passion of the Christ – His intense suffering and death on the cross – is what helps us overcome the accuser. Just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me… This is how we win!
TS: Now, Christ’s passion, His suffering and death, can give us victory over sin and Satan, but just knowing about it is not enough. His passion for us led Him to die a cruel death. However, our passion for Him is also necessary.
II. We Win By Having Passion for the Christ (11)
“They overcame him… by the word of their testimony.”
-Christ died for me, but what difference does that make in my life? What is my testimony regarding Christ’s work on my behalf? How has my life changed since Jesus became my forgiver and leader? What’s so good about the good news? Let me tell you.
-The word of my testimony is that once I was filled with pride and selfishness. I thought I was a pretty good person without God, until He started showing me what I was capable of without Him. I was a people-pleaser. I wanted to please myself and please others in order to gain their good opinion. I wanted to feel valuable, but deep inside I knew there wasn’t much to be proud of. I had been on and off in my relationship with God, growing up in the church, attending youth camps, and riding the spiritual roller coaster. However, during a particularly low point, when I was not walking with the Lord, but trying to do my own thing, the Lord surprised me. He used a rather obnoxious, confrontational, shouting evangelist in a tent meeting to bring me to repentance. I don’t think I ever really liked the guy, but I’m sure glad God used him to get to me. After settling things with God, I still remember the weight that was lifted off of my heart and shoulders. There’s nothing like forgiveness! I’ve been far from perfect since that time, but God has led me and helped me along, in spite of myself. He is still working on me, changing me and helping me become the person I was meant to be. He has spared me from a lot of unnecessary grief and heartache just by keeping me close to Himself.
-In a word, my testimony is that because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, I am living a forgiven life, free from the burden of guilt and shame that I deserve. I live in the middle of God’s blessing, not because I am anything special, but because of what Jesus has done for me. I have a passion for Christ. I want to know Him more intimately and I want to make Him known to others. My passion is to see broken lives restored and made whole again by the love, forgiveness, and acceptance that Christ offers.
-That’s my story… what’s yours? Are you forgiven? When Satan accuses you, do you plead guilty, because you know you are, or do you appeal to Jesus and what He has done to take away your sin? If you are not right with God, you can make a new start with Him today. You don’t have to join a church or go through any ritual. All you need to do is call on the Lord. Rom. 10:13 says that whoever calls on name of the Lord will be saved. Saved from what? Saved from an empty pointless life without Him. Saved from an eternity without Him. Saved from the tactics of the enemy of your soul. I hope that you will say yes to God’s offer of forgiveness if you have not already done so.
TS: Finally, John gives a third way of overcoming the enemy.
III. We Win By Being More Attached to Jesus Than to Our Own Life (11)
“They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
-The obvious intended meaning of this sentence is that the saints were not afraid to die for their faith. They were not afraid to lose their earthly lives, because God had already given them the gift of God – eternal life through Jesus. They were not so attached to their earthly lives that they were unwilling to lay them down for Christ.
-I saw an estimate that a daily average of 425 Christian believers around the world are being martyred for their faith. However, this is a rather foreign concept to most of us – at least on a personal basis. One of the closest contemporary examples of a martyr that most of us have probably heard about was Cassie Bernall. One of the Columbine killers pointed his gun at Cassie Bernall and asked her the life-or-death question: "Do you believe in God?" She paused. The gun was still there. "Yes, I believe in God," she said. That was the last thing this 17-year-old Christian would ever say in this life.
-We may never face a situation such as this. Nevertheless, we still need to ask the question that this raises: “Do I value my earthly life more than I value my relationship with Jesus?” It might not be that difficult for many of us to come up with an answer. We might proudly declare (like the disciples) that we would gladly die for Christ. However, the greater question for us to consider may not be, “Would I die for Christ,” but “Am I living for Christ?” If we are not living our lives wholeheartedly for the Lord now, then what are the chances that we would be willing to die for Him?
-How attached are you to this life? I enjoy living and breathing. I like being here. However, if my existence is defined more by my life here on this earth than by my relationship with Jesus, then something is out of alignment. We must always remember that this life is not all there is. There is more to this life than what we can see with our eyes and touch with our hands. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If all that we treasure is found in our earthly existence, then our heart will be here on earth. However, if we store up treasure in heaven through a loving relationship with Jesus, then our heart will know where its home is.
Conclusion: In closing, how do we win against the great dragon -- that ancient serpent called the devil (slanderer), or Satan (adversary), who leads the whole world astray? We Win Because of the Passion of the Christ and what He did for us on the cross. We Win By Having a Passion for the Christ, a personal relationship with Him. We Win By Being More Attached to Jesus Than to Our Own Life. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
-Have you accepted the forgiveness Jesus offers? Do you have a story to tell of how Jesus has changed your life? If not, you can, because He will. Are you more attached to Jesus than to your life on this earth? Would you be willing to die for Him if it came to that? Are you willing to live your life for Him in the meantime?
-If you need to make things right with God, I hope you will do that today. If we could all bow our heads for a moment, I’d like to give an opportunity for you to respond if you need to get right with God. If you need forgiveness for the wrong things you have done, would you just whisper a prayer to Him right now? Just tell Him that you have sinned against Him and that you want His forgiveness. Ask Him to forgive you and then tell Him that you want Him to lead your life from now on. He hears you as you pray from your heart right now. The Bible says that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. Let’s take a few quiet moments to let the Holy Spirit talk to us. Have a little heart-to-heart talk with the Lord, and then listen for what He might speak to your heart, as you listen to this song. [Come to Jesus / Just As I Am]
2005
