Overcomers

Have your Bibles with you today. Turn with me if you would the Revelation chapter 12 can we look at verses seven through 11 this morning. Now war arose in heaven. Michael and his angels fighting against the Dragon and the Dragon and his angels fought back but he was defeated is no longer any place for them in heaven and the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver, the whole world was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down withing. I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God and they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death spray heavenly father. What a passage we have before us today that helps us to understand that the Christian life is not a game.

It's a battle it's a war. Heavenly father, we would ask today. As we look through this passage that we might understand who our enemy is that we might understand his hatred for the God that we love his hatred for the Christ who died for us and that Lord we might be motivated to deeply get involved in this battle that Christ would be uplifted in all that we do and all that we say that he would be glorified through our loving him more than even life itself got indirect disloyalty. This passage may Christ be exalted by this congregation beatified Jesus holy and precious name we pray. Amen. You may be seated.

In 1858 John Patton stood before the congregation of his church in Scotland and he made the following announcement.

He said the Lord has called me to go to the New Hebrides Islands as a missionary.

He said I am asking you to pray for those on the New Hebrides Island that that they might hear with ears to hear the truth of the gospel.

Pray that they will be convicted of sin, pray that they will run to Jesus for salvation and he said pray for me. Pray for me that I would be able to stand firm against the devil and pray for me that I would be faithful to the gospel when he said that one of the elders in his church stood up and Elder said don't go John Patton you'll be eaten by cannibals. He said please don't go. It is way too dangerous and Patton said no.

I am going and this is my prayer, Lord, protect me and get me ready and prepared to die and go to heaven if you will not protect me from harm. Revelation chapter 12 verse 11 is the verse that John Patton stood alone for his time in the New Hebrides is a verse that was one of my favorite book verses in the whole book of Revelation.

It says this and they overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb by the word of their testimony, and by the fact that they loved not their lives unto the death. 1212 years before Patton went to the New Hebrides. There were three Scottish missionaries that traveled to the New Hebrides to minister their when I pulled up on the sand of the beach there were cannibals that saw them and they ran to the boat. They speared them to death and there on the beach. They consume their flesh is a meal. So what this Elder was saying in the church was was a very real concern. It was a very real danger, but Patton said no, God is called me to this mission field, and I am going and he went and he prays for 25 years. Unceasingly every day. He preached Jesus Christ at the end of those 25 years, 90% of the population of the New Hebrides Islands had come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and there was a strong church that was planted on every single one of those islands.

John Patton believed that the book of Revelation was not just a fantasy book to write novels about but that it was a directory of worship and a manual for spiritual warfare brothers and sisters and I are day and time. We need to understand that that's what the book of Revelation is all about.

That God is commanding us to understand that we are at war.

No two points on a share with you today.

First point is the war in heaven looking begin at verses 7 to 10 now war arose in heaven. Michael and his angels fighting against the Dragon and the Dragon is angels fought back but he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven and the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver, the whole world was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down withing, and I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, now the salvation of the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ is come the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Last week we got a chance to look at the introduction we saw that the woman was the church not just the New Testament church. But the extended church that is that the church in the Old Testament, which is the people of God the believers they are and the church in the New Testament and all this together made up this this group that is called here the woman the child is Jesus Christ. The Dragon is Satan.

We saw that this war has been raging all the waste through human history, and we saw not only that, but we saw that it will not stop raging until Christ returns to this earth, we saw Satan's hatred for God hatred for Jesus Christ. We saw his futile attempts to try to stop the Messiah from being born.

Then we saw his attempts in putting Jesus to death that were was an attempt that he accomplished as he engineered the crucifixion. He believed that he had victory.

It was his greatest victory.

He thought until three days later when there was a rude awakening.

Jesus Christ rose in the dead, breaking the power of death, and ceiling Satan's doing. The crucifixion was the turning point in history the crucifixion changed everything in the Old Testament the the that the the people at God's people put their trust in the promised Messiah.

The Messiah that was going to come and they would slay the Passover lambs at Passover at the Passover festival. Why would they do that they were doing that looking in faith for the one who would come and sacrifice his life for them and then on the day of atonement, they would go to the temple. They watch the high priest after he had killed the goat and he had taken the goat's blood and put it in a basin and watching go into the temple walk back behind the veil it in the of the holy of holies and then he would take his branch of hyssop, dip it down into the the bowl of blood. And then he would sprinkle it on the mercy seat, the lid on top of the ark of the covenant that the people's sins might be forgiven or covered for that particular for that particular year. They offered animal sacrifices when children were born, they offered animal sacrifices when kings were crowned. But when Jesus died. All that ended his blood was the ultimate sacrifice. It was a perfect atonement. It was the needed propitiation.

So Jesus died on the cross and as he was dying with his last breath.

He cried out to tell you style it is finished.

Paid in full, God the father at that point in time rip available in the in the temple rip the veil in the holy of hold that separated the holy place, not from the holy of holies. And when he ripped that veil. It ripped it from the top to the bottom showing everybody would believe that they now had access into the very presence of God himself. The blood of Jesus washed away our sin, it washed away our sin and because of that we were declared legally justified and our sins were forgiven thoroughly, gloriously forgiven. No blood sacrifice would ever ever be needed again. Jesus paid it all, all to him I sin is left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. That's what happened for us, but here in Revelation chapter 12 we find out not only what happened to us because of the crucifixion. We also found out what happened to the kingdom of darkness so the scene switches from from Earth to heaven immediately after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, war broke out, not a nurse but war broke out in heaven. Up to this time Satan is had actually asked to go into the very presence of God and to be the accuser of the brethren to accuse us before God day and night and he did that.

We saw this very plainly in the book of Job, we just read that to you and you an idea of how this was going on in Old Testament times, Job chapter 162 11 that there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

The Lord said to Satan, from where do you come Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it. The Lord said to Satan, if you considered my servant Job is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil, and Satan answered the Lord and said Job fear God for no reason here that accusation. I do not put a hedge around him at his house and all that he has on every side accusation you have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land.

But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, he will curse you your face all the way through human history up to the time of the crucifixion and resurrection. Satan had access to go before the very presence of God and accused the brethren and God allowed it, but when the resurrection occurred, that ended Michael and his angels waged war against Satan and his angels, and Michael and his angels cast Satan and his angels down to this earth so that Satan could no longer go in to the physical presence of God and accuse the brethren reach verse 91 more time and the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down withing is the Holy Spirit of God is inspiring John to write these words that we have before us in Revelation chapter 12.

I'm sure that John went back in his mind to a day when he and Jesus and the disciples were walking together down the road and there was a huge group of people with them and all of a sudden there was a voice that spoke from heaven. It was the voice of God the father, now in John chapter 12 the same John who wrote the book of Revelation wrote the gospel of John and listen to what he said about that event now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say father, save me from this hour, but for this purpose. I've come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven. I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again, the crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered.

Other sailor angels spoken to him. Jesus answered this bowl voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world. Now, with the ruler of this world be cast out. And I when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

So when Jesus speaks of being lifted up from the earth. He's talking about the crucifixion. He's gonna be lifted up on the cross books, two things happen to Satan. When Jesus died on the cross. The first was that he lost his access to go into the very presence of God he lost that physical access. He was not allowed to do that ever again.

But then, secondly, according to Revelation chapter 20 that tells us about the binding of Satan and the binding of Satan was done for specific purpose or something. Will the binding of Satan means that a Satan is Vance that he can do absolutely nothing that he's is a incapable of having any influence or doing any kind of wickedness at all.

That's not what the binding of Satan was Revelation 20 tells us what it is. The binding of Satan keeps him from deceiving the nations any longer. In other words, up to the time of the cross. The up to Tom's across the rest of the world.

The rest of the world was in complete darkness. Up to that time was only one nation who had the truth, and the one who had the truth was Israel.

Israel had the promise of the Messiah, the hope of the Messiah. They had the word of God. They had all of this, but the rest of the world was in spiritual darkness when Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected from the dead. That changed and the gospel begin to proliferate the gospel began to go out to the whole world, and people started coming to Christ from every tribe, kindred tongue and nation. Richard Phillips said the following don't you listen this carefully and especially to the quote that Doug Kelly makes here is it what does it mean for Satan to be thrown down out of heaven.

Revelation 1210 answers that that the accuser of our brethren had been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Christ is silent Satan's attempts to accuse Christians before God.

Douglas Kelly writes, when Jesus completed his redemptive work for sinners and took his place on God's throne. Satan no longer could come before God to criticize the saints. Rather, Jesus is now they are, where Satan at one time could walk in and out before God, he is there is our advocate that is Jesus residence. Satan is our accuser estate and still the accuser of the brethren today, oh yeah he is and when I sin when I stumble when I fall is right there to whisper in my ear, Doug. You're a phony. Your hypocrite. You don't really love the Lord, you don't really belong to Jesus. He is there to to accuse me any does that now and he does that to you now, but he cannot do that in the presence of God ever again. My sister Carol is a nurse and I called Rupp several years ago on the phone and I could tell by her voice that she was upset. Her voice was trembling as it was a matter and she told me that a friend of hers at work had committed suicide. A lady friend.

She said the lady is not a believer and he said her husband walked out on her and left her for another guy said she's been through a lot of physical problems and been a bad physical pain. She's been going through all this emotional drama and she said her conclusion was that the best thing that could she could do was just to go ahead and take her own life and you know you can just see Satan work in that situation. He tells her you don't have any hope left that nothing can help you from here on out you can continue to stay in this physical pain. You can continue to live in this anxiety, nobody really loves you. Nobody really cares for you. Just go ahead and kill yourself and in this suffering right now for when you die, then, is just over it's like when you're sleeping.

No more suffering no more anxiety, no pain, and she believe that deception and she plunged herself into a priceless eternity. The number one cause of death in our college campuses today is suicide.

And Satan whispers in the ear of these young students you don't need to go through this pain. You don't need to go through people thinking you're not adequate it only to deal with this anxiety just go ahead and take your life and they do think it is just going to end it all. It does not, in that all death of the unbeliever is eternal hail.

The torments of hail where there is no escape where there is no exit where there is no hope.

It is hail and it is forever. How many teenage girls are are living in a prison of guilt and shame because they compromised their moral convictions.

They bawled into the deception that if you really love someone the way that you prove that love to them is to premarital sex and what are the consequences unwanted babies, abortions, shame and absolute disappointment. Satan works.

First, of deception to eat. He paints a false picture to us trying to to get us to believe that that which is not really true is true and people fall into that deception.

And when they fall into that deception.

And there's immediately the accusations and when the accusations come there's devastation. So what can we do to overcome. Where is ESV says to conquer oil that takes me to point to and that is our overcoming. Look at verse 11 and they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives under the death. In verse 11 we have our answer and they overcame Satan hail three things by the blood of the Lamb by the word of their testimony about the fact that they loved not their lives in the day at so let's look at those first of all, they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb. What is so all fired important about the blood of Jesus. Let me read you passage from Leviticus chapter 17 verse 11 says for the life of the flesh is in the blood and I've given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls bridges the blood that makes atonement for the soul. The blood makes atonement for the soul. What is atonement the word atonement means to cover over to cover over you remember when Adam and Eve disobeyed God they sin in the garden.

They ate of the forbidden fruit and when that happened immediately. Their innocence left and immediately they felt shame and embarrassment because they realize that they were naked. And so what did they do they make themselves fig leaf close to try to cover over their nakedness have that work out very well that the Figley's dry out very quickly.

They just fall apart. So then God the father in front of Adam and Eve kill two animals. I don't know exactly for sure what those animals were have a tendency believe there were probably lambs, but he kill the two animals and then he he skin those animals and he took their hides, and he made garments for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness. Can you imagine what Adam and Eve must've thought what I must've thought because this is the first time they had ever seen death the first time they'd ever seen.

Pain the first time they had ever seen. Blood and they look down at these precious little animals on the ground and the blood is just gushing forth out of that open wound and they watch their eyes as they get weaker and weaker and weaker and then they watch them breathe their last breath and die and they had to see that and when I saw that they realized it was IRC and that calls that and sin cannot be covered except to the shed blood. Adam and Eve did know the did know the half of the story for the blood of those little lambs whatever animals they were was only a temporary covering.

It was not permanent.

It could only cover the sea, and it could not wash it away and they they they knew that something else had to happen because that was only a picture assemble a type a a picture of that which would come and that is the true Lamb of God, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ who would shed his blood on the cross. Nothing our sins would just be covered over with that they would be completely and totally washed away what is the blood of Jesus do the blood of Jesus conquers when Jesus was nailed to the cross he cried out from the cross to tell you Scott it is finished. It was the completion of the redemption of God he redeemed the people of God through his precious blood and it was a complete redemption. Hebrews 214 says that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. Secondly, the blood of Jesus cleanses first John chapter 1 verse seven says if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin and then thirdly the blood gives us access to God the father. Hebrews 1019 says brethren now we have boldness to enter into the holy place through the blood of Jesus. When you fill an attack from Satan. Just begin to praise Jesus for the shedding of his blood and see what happens when Satan begins to accuse you. Remind Satan of the shed blood of Christ. When people accuse you. Remind yourself of the shed blood of Jesus Christ folks the blood doesn't just cover oversee and it washes sin completely away. That's why Satan hates it so desperately mutate. Satan is not concerned about whether you're religious or not.

He's not concerned about whether your churchgoer.

He's not concerned if you're Baptist or Presbyterian or Pentecostal what he wants to know is this. Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Have you been to the cross.

Had you trusted Christ and Christ alone. Have you entered into a blood covenant relationship with him when he takes you're in a church that does not emphasize the shed blood of Jesus Christ. If you're in a church that is not preaching Christ and him crucified and you can rest assured of this.

That church is no threat to Satan like number two they overcame him. Satan by the word of their testimony, the wording, there is very important. It doesn't say by the word of any testimony is says by the word of their testimony, and in other words, Christianity is is experiential, it's you come into a relationship with the living God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

And when that happens. What happens, the Lord takes out of you artist of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh, he changes you so that you are not the same anymore. You're a new creation were all things are passed away behold all things are become new. He makes you different, you got a heart that was to love God not that's perfect.

Not that doesn't make mistakes. It's a heart that loves God. It is a heart that hates lien.

How do you confess the word of your testimony I think is a good way to do it. You can save yourself. I am a child of God I am Christ, free and I am chosen and appointed by my Lord I'm a son or daughter of God. I'm a member of Jesus body. I'm an air of God.

I'm a saint I'm God's workmanship I'm chosen by God, holy and dearly beloved, I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and I am what I am by the grace of God. They overcame Satan by the word of their testimony.

Folks we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. Thirdly, they overcame Satan by the fact that they loved not their lives unto the death. We taste something if you get the point your life where your you're willing to die for Jesus sake than what else can Satan throw it is a man who lives in Czechoslovakia's name is Neela Sholes. He may be the bravest Christian that I've ever met. He was a tennis player played internationally, he became the tennis coach for Yvonne Lindell, one of the great tennis players a few years ago but during the time when Czechoslovakia was under communism during that time he would not keep his mouth shut about Jesus. He got thrown in prison and a friend of his told me the story batting. He said he was in this prison sale and Mike this friend that told me this was in the prison sale withing Annie said that the guard came in and the guard was furious because Mila Schultz had led the guard's son to Christ and he took his gun and he put the barrel of the gun in his ear and he said listen, you're going to go and talk to my son and you gonna tell him of this Christianity stuff is a lie in your talk him out of this me wash begin to laugh. A said I can't talk him out of this. He said I didn't saving Jesus safety and I can't talk him out of it and you can't talk them out of it belongs to Christ and nothing in the world can change that. Lisa beside that you can kill me is it what you mean I can kill your got the gun right here in your ear.

He said Jesus said he believes in him shall never die. He said, so if you shoot me. He said to be in the presence of Christ, the son of God before my body hits the floor at man dropped the gun down, fell on his knees before me wash and begged him to tell them how to come.

The notice Christ.

He overcame Satan me wash did by the fact that he loved, not his life under the death one more quick illustration pastor in Seoul, Korea said that there are Christians in North Korea that her experience in revival nail in a way that the rest of the world really doesn't even know or understand.

And he said it all started in the little church that was in the little village and pastor in the church is on fire for the Lord sharing the gospel. People started coming to the church's church started growing so the commonest sent a squad of soldiers to their house. They took the pastor's wife and the three children grabbed them and drove them out of the house and they took them to the center of town. They had been stopped starting a building project. They are, they had Artie dug a foundation for a building and the foundation was like a whole big deep hole. They took his family and they put them right on the precipice of the whole and they said to the pastor willing to give you a chance if you denounce Christ right now and will let you and your family go free.

If you don't do it when you start these bulldozers were to push you into that whole and working to bury you alive said now will you denounce Christ. The pastor shook his head no. I gave the signal he started the bulldozers, the bulldozers started moving forward in the pastor's little five-year-old girl started crying and she looked up at her daddy. She grabbed his leg.

She said daddy I want to get hurt.

I don't want to die. The pastor thought units.

One thing for me to give my life for Christ. It's another thing for me not to protect my family and he started to raise his hand up and when he did his wife reached over, she grabbed his hand he pulled it back down. She looked over the little girl she said honey hush, don't say another word in just a few minutes with you to see Jesus Christ face-to-face the bulldozers move forward. They push that family into that whole they buried them alive. By that time, the whole village to come out and they saw what happened, they saw the sacrifice that that family had made, and in unison they held up their hand and they cried out. Glory to God.

Praise the name of Jesus and went home. Later that evening. Several of the soldiers in that squad came back into town looking for somebody who could tell them how to come to know the God that this family had died for headed.

They defeat Satan.

They overcame him because they loved not their lives unto the death. Folks here it is.

They overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb by the word of their testimony, and by the fact that they loved not their lives in the death man what a great verse with a verse that you and I need to stand on and live by what a verse to overcome Satan's only father we thank you and praise you for this precious passage. We thank you and praise you for the testimonies that I just shared about me wash and in the family and in North Korea.

Father, we would pray if the situation gets that bad for us Christians in America that you would give us that kind of spiritual heart that that we too might stand on nothing but the blood of Christ, that we might stand on the word of our testimony of what you have done for us by giving your son to die for us and help us Lord, that we might stand on this fact that we loved not our lives unto the death. Jesus, thank you for loving us.

Thank you for dying for us. Thank you Lord that we know that you're coming back. We know this for sure Jesus wins. We love you Lord, thank you and praise you for your goodness and loved us and we asked this prayer in your holy and precious name. Amen