Sermon 8 - The Battle Is Won Series

A. One of the favorite movies of all time is The Wizard of Oz.

1. I remember as a child of being very frightened by the movie.

a. First, there was the cranky, crotchety neighbor.

b. Then there was the tornado.

c. But worst of all was the Wicked Witch of the West, with her green face, long nails and crooked nose.

2. She made the trees of the forest turn mean.

a. She made Dorothy and her friends fall asleep in the field on their way to the emerald city.

b. She sent her bizarre, flying monkeys to capture them, and locked up Dorothy in her castle with the hour glass counting down the minutes left until her death.

3. Needless to say, I was tied up in anxious knots throughout the entire movie.

B. But that has not been the case for a long, long time.

1. Now I can watch the movie without fear or concern for Dorothy, because I know how the story ends.

2. Unfortunately, we can make the same mistake in life.

3. If we aren’t acquainted with the end of the script, we can grow fearful during the “movie” of this life.

4. That’s why it’s important to know the whole story.

C. The presence of Satan is one reason some people fear the return of Christ.

1. Terms such as “Armageddon,” “lake of fire,” and “Scarlet Beast” are enough to unnerve the strongest of hearts.

2. Certainly, those who do not know God have reason to be anxious.

3. But those of us who are dressed in Christ, we need not be afraid.

4. We need only to read the Bible’s final reference to the devil to know his fate, “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Rev. 20:10)

D. God hasn’t kept the ending a secret, aren’t you glad?!

1. He wants us to see the big picture.

2. He wants us to know that He wins and that if we are on His side, then we win.

3. He also wants us to know that the evil we witness on the stage of life is not as mighty as we might think.

E. Many passages teach these truths, but some of the best are a couple of verses recorded by Luke.

1. Look with me at Luke 22:31-32.

2. Jesus spoke these words on the night before His death.

3. He was in the upper room with His followers.

4. They were shocked to hear His prophesy that one of them would betray their Master.

5. Their defensiveness led to an argument, and the argument led Jesus to spur them on toward servanthood.

6. Then in an abrupt shift, Jesus turned to Peter and made this intriguing statement: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Lk 22:31-32).

F. This passage gives us a glimpse into an unseen world.

1. It raises many questions, but it also affords many assurances.

2. The greatest of these assurances is that there is a chain of command.

3. God is clearly in control, and the devil is on a short leash.

4. Did you notice the verb that followed Satan’s name?

a. The verb is “ask.” Jesus said, “Satan has asked…”

b. The devil didn’t demand, resolve or decide, rather he asked.

c. Just as he requested permission to tempt Job, he requested permission to tempt Simon Peter.

5. This kind of changes our image of the old snake, doesn’t it?

a. Instead of Satan being in the image of the mighty Darth Vader, a better caricature is a skinny, back-alley punk who acts tough, but winces when God flexes His muscles.

6. So, Satan says to Jesus, “Excuse me, Jesus, but I’d like to do a number on Peter - that is, if you don’t mind.”

7. The chain of command is clear.

8. Satan does nothing outside of God’s permission, and God uses Satan to advance the cause of His kingdom.

G. Let me illustrate with a painful story of someone who knows all about this kind of thing.

1. Julie Lindsey was working the late shift at a hotel just south of Montgomery, Alabama.

a. Her part-time employment helped pay her college bills as she finished school.

2. She was a devout believer, but her belief was tested the night two men held a gun to her head and forced her into their truck.

a. Tragically, she was robbed, raped and left handcuffed to a tree.

3. The nightmare nearly destroyed her.