Revelation 12:1-5, 7-8, 17
We’re at War!
September 26, 2021
Most of you know I’m a sports guy. I enjoy watching and playing sports. One thing that drives me crazy when watching is when you hear an announcer say that the team or individuals LOOK FLAT.
Have you ever heard that said about your team? It means they’re not into the game, they have no energy, they’re not really ready to play. I’ve heard it most for football and basketball teams. I’ve heard it for tennis players as well. Maybe it’s hard to get up for every game. Yet, I find it remarkable that a team knows they’ve got a war, because in a sense that’s what competition is, and they’re not ready for it. You know what I mean?
It’s not always easy to get all excited for each day as well. We often go through the motions of life. Sometimes we kind of sleep walk through the day. And if your life is on TV, the announcers may say, ‘they like flat today.’
I say all of that to let you know we’re starting a new sermon series today. It’s going to be different. I’ve spoken about this topic a bit, but never with as much background that I’m going to do, which is next weeks message.
What I’m going to be talking about and doing it in many different directions is war! It’s not the typical war I’m going to be talking about. It’s a spiritual war. We’re going to be looking at spiritual warfare. Yup, fun topic! But I believe this is so, so important in our world!
This is kind of the process I’m going to be using. Today is more of an introduction, to help us see that we really are in a war. Next week, we’re going to see how, where, when and why this whole thing started. It’s going to be a little more of a Bible Study sermon. Then we’re going to look way, way back to Genesis and see how this all played out, and that may actually take me a couple of weeks. Then we’re going to bring it present again and talk about how we can invoke God and help protect ourselves.
Obviously, we’re talking about satan.
There’s a problem, though - - because this isn’t a war we’re going to fight in the physical world. We may think that, but that’s part of the delusion. It’s a war unlike any we’ve ever seen, a war unlike any we’ve been part of. Actually, it’s a war we’ve already experienced, but maybe haven’t realized.
It’s the longest unrecorded war in human history. You see, our battle is not with one another, as much as we might look at one another with disdain, mistrust and enmity. As he is finishing his letter to the Ephesians, Paul puts it best . . .
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. - Ephesians 6
Do you understand what Paul is saying?
You see, our battle isn’t against one another, our battle is against forces of evil which places those temptations, thoughts, desires and addictions right in front of us. They lead us into battles within ourselves and with others. Some cause us to sin.
Our battle is against the forces of evil - - not against flesh and blood. As Paul says, it’s against the rulers, authorities, the powers of this dark world. He’s talking about satan, the devil, the evil one, lucifer . . . or whatever you want to call him.
But you see we don’t take this topic seriously, do we? We don’t want to talk about evil. It’s either too scary or we laugh it off, really, because it’s too scary. We like to joke about the devil as the one wearing a silly red cape who’ harmless.
Yet, Paul tells us we need to be strong in the Lord, using His strength. So we put on God’s spiritual armor. Not ours, ours is weak, but we put on God’s armor so that we can withstand the war and we have the confidence to stand firm in battle.
Yet, satan would lead us to believe we can act like there are no consequences in life. Then when we’re caught, we blame someone else. That will be in 2 weeks when we look at the garden scene with Adam and Eve. It’s a daily battle and if we’re not equipped and ready for war, then we will lose the battle. We can’t be flat.
Many of us have God sized hopes, dreams and visions. Sometimes they don’t materialize. Sometimes we’re at fault, but I also believe satan wants us to believe we’re no good, that we’re not worthy of God’s grace, love, power, forgiveness and we don’t deserve those great dreams and visions.
We can easily buy into the lies. Jesus tells us in John 8:44 ---
44 He (satan) was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. - John 8:44
And sadly, so many of us buy into those lies. There’s nothing good in him. He wants us to believe there’s nothing good within us. And we believe the lies.
This is why Peter tells us –
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8
We’re going to talk more about this passage in about 4 weeks as well. Peter wants us to understand the devil is always prowling, always on high alert. Picture a lion prowling and sneaking around . . . ready to pounce on their dinner. That’s satan.
satan enjoys nothing more than a defeated Christian, because a defeated Christian is a powerless Christian. They have no spiritual power to defend themselves from his attacks. They just wilt and succumb to arrow after arrow, insult after insult, abuse after abuse, until they become exactly what satan wants, a nothing.
You see, we’re at war. It’s not the type of war we think about, we’re in a spiritual war. The good news is that we know who our enemy is. And satan will do all he can to defeat us.
When you look at our world, you can see the residue that satan leaves behind and the consequences of his power in the world.
Let’s look at Revelation 12 and understand that satan is real and seeks to destroy us. We’ll also see why he seeks to defeat us - - -
1 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swiped a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 5 She gave birth to a Son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne. 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 (satan) 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. – Revelation 12
Now . . . before we get too far into this, let me say this - - - -
People have a lot of different views for who the woman is, some say she’s obviously Mary, but I don’t believe that. Most scholars view the woman as a symbol for the nation of Israel; and I agree with that. The child is Christ, the red dragon is satan.
According to this passage, satan sought to destroy Jesus. Verse 4 tells us as the woman was ready to give birth, satan was ready to devour her Child as soon as He was born. We can go into a lot of the imagery, but I’m not. That’s not the point.
In verse 7 -- we’re told there’s a cosmic war. A war in heaven between satan and his angels against archangel Michael and his angels. satan lost and was kicked out of heaven along with his angels. Verse 9 tells us satan’s mission was to lead the world astray. To confuse the whole world. To lead us down the wrong path.
Again, think about our world, we don’t know the truth most of the time, because everything is skewed. It’s easy to see how easily it is to be led astray.
Paul also reminds us in 2 Corinthians 11:14, satan “masquerades as an angel of light.” He’s a deceiver, with only one intent . . . to confuse and lead you astray.
So satan is really angry that he’s been thrown out of heaven. Since the child is protected by God, he pursues the woman. The woman is protected by God as well and is shielded by the earth. Ultimately, we come to the final verse of the chapter.
It’s a key verse, Revelation 12:17 —
17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring — those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. - Revelation 12
Did you hear that? satan lost and was kicked out of heaven and he’s fuming mad. He wants to do anything he can to get back at the one who defeated him. He knows the One with all of the power is God. satan wants to make war with God! But, he knows he’s going to lose every battle. That’s a given!
He’s so angry and wants to make war against someone. For him revenge is sweet. It’s plotting his next move so he can get back at God for his defeat. So, whom is he going to make war against? Against any person who believes Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Look at the end of that passage.
Let me make this real clear, if you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you’re under spiritual attack. You’re in a war, and you may not know it. And this is exactly what satan wants. Because . . . and now catch this, it’s really, really important to know - - - -
If you don’t know you’re at war, then you can’t fight! And if you can’t or won’t fight in your own war, then how can you be victorious, you’re losing the battle.
Ain’t this fun today?! Glad you came to worship? I hope so, because this is really important. We need to see how important this is.
You see, satan will attack us on all fronts. He hits us where we’re weak, he hits us when we think we’ve got it made. He hits us with surprise attacks when we’re not ready. He hits us from the front when we’re expecting an attack from our rear. He comes straight at us, and dares us to fight back. He’s good at what he does. He’s a master deceiver.
He’ll tell you things like ---
• I don’t need to go to church, I’m saved!
I don’t like the music, the sermons are too long, and I can’t bring coffee into the sanctuary.
• I don’t need Sunday School or Bible Study!
I know what I need to know.
• I can sleep with anyone, anytime. It’s my body.
• Give money . . . no way. That’s mine. I worked for it.
• Forgiveness, it’ll be a cold day before that happens!
• Serving others and God, what’d they do for me?
• I can cheat, everyone else is doing it.
• I can drink and smoke, it’s my body
• I can do the bare minimum at work, nobody cares
• Nobody at work will know what I took.
• The devil, he’s got no power. He’s just a myth in a red cape with a pitchfork.
Too often we buy into the lies. We believe we can do whatever, whenever. Some is our own doing. We can’t pull the Flip Wilson line - “the devil made me do it.”
Sometimes we give in to temptations because we’re weak and not well grounded in Christ, using the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s true for so many of us, really all of us. We have the power to do more than we can ever imagine, but we struggle to get off the ground on it.
We should be living the joy-filled, passion filled life, we should be experiencing the joy and presence and power of Christ, but it seems like such a struggle.
We’ve bought into satan’s lies that we’re not good. We don’t believe our heart’s really all that good. We have some fair moments, but for the most part, we don’t believe in ourselves. We don’t really love ourselves as God desires us to love ourselves, we’re not happy.
Yet, God calls us to be fully alive in Him. Remember that passage from Jesus --
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. - John 10:10
This is an interesting statement from Jesus. Why would He join these 2 diametrically opposed statements together? He’s showing us what satan offers and what He offers.
God’s intention for you is fullness of life, but right now that life is opposed. God’s plan is the super, over flowing abundant life, but we must deal with an enemy who has a different agenda.
The world in which we live is a combat zone, a violent clash of kingdoms, a bitter struggle against evil forces who are determined to keep us from experiencing true life. We’re at war.
satan’s goal is to utterly destroy, decimate, demolish, ravage, obliterate; wholly, completely, utterly destroy you and lead you to cause someone else to be destroyed. That’s what the first part of John 10:10 is getting at.
William Gurnall was a pastor in the 1600's, he wrote, “the devil has more temptations than an actor has costumes for the stage. And one of his all time favorite disguises is that of a lying spirit, to abuse your tender heart with the worst news he can deliver — that you do not really love Jesus Christ and that you are only pretending, you are only deceiving yourself.
? We should have fullness of peace and joy.
? To be fully alive is to be filled with an awesome awareness of how much God loves us.
? It is to believe God’s intention towards us is always good, not evil.
? To be fully alive is to be strengthened by God’s indwelling power.
? To be fully alive is to be totally free from our sinful past and all of its guilt.
? To be fully alive is to be trust in plan and purpose for our future.
? To be fully alive is to demonstrate God’s wonder and awe.
? it is to inspire others to become men and women of faith.
? To be fully alive is to be fully accessible to God - His power, His purpose and His plan.
OK, we’re coming to the end of the day, but I want to end with good news. I want to end with 2 passages from Paul in the book of Colossians - -
13 God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. - Colossians 1:13-14
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.
Yes, we’re at war . . . and we need to be prepared for war. But always remember, never forget we win the war, because of Christ’s sacrifice for you and I.
