Satan hates you and wants to destroy you – What are you going to do about it?

Church Family:  There is a spiritual war going on between heaven and earth and your soul is the bounty.  Everyday we see a visible manifestation of this worldwide spiritual battle between Satan, the Church and individual believers.  We see this battle in our own lives.  In Revelation 12, Jesus reveals to us who the players are in this battle.  

First, Satan has been trying to defeat God’s people from the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden.  He sought to destroy Israel, God’s people, and the blood line that was to bring the coming Messiah.  Satan failed!  God’s promises prevailed.  God won!   Since Satan lost the battle to stop the Messiah from winning and securing salvation for us, Satan then turned his fight on destroying the followers of the Messiah (12:7-17).  Revelation 12, makes it very clear that Satan hates us as believers.  Satan and his angels hate the Church and they will do everything they can to destroy you and me both.  So, what are we going to do about that?

Satan has two specific tactics to destroy followers of Christ.  He deceives and he accuses (12:9-10).  He releases his deception upon us by engulfing us in a constant stream of philosophical falsehoods, evolutionary dogmas, religious philosophies, biblical heresies and individualized lies specific to our own weaknesses.  He lies to us about God and he lies to us about ourselves.  He accuses us of being a failure.  He tells us, “God does not love us anymore.”  He sows seeds of doubt in our mind concerning our relationship with God and other believers so that we separate ourselves from God and the Church.  Satan is determined to convince us that our salvation is dependent upon our own success and failures in spiritual battles.  And there are a million other lies that he focuses upon you and me individually.  He wants to destroy us spiritually!  What are you going to do about it?

Revelation 12:11, tells us clearly.  First, we will always defeat Satan through the blood of the Lamb.  What does this mean?  Stand in the amazing grace “that there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  The cross and the resurrection has secured for us victory over sin and death.  The blood of Christ cleanses us from all guilt and accusations and "nothing can separate us from the love of Christ" (Romans 8:39).  Nothing can take this away from you.

We also defeat Satan by the word of our testimony.  What testimony?  The testimony of who God made you.  You are a priceless child of God.  You are not a failure.  You are the apple of God’s eye.  He keeps you in the shadow of His wings.  You are chosen, loved, adopted into God’s family and made a co-heir with Christ.  You are a new creation.  You have been seated in the heavenly places with Christ.  You are dearly loved.  Don’t let Satan tell you otherwise.  

Lastly, we defeat Satan by not loving our lives more than Jesus.  Satan wants wants us so badly to love the things of the world more than Christ.  His defeat comes when we choose as children of God, to love Jesus more than our earthly health, safety, comforts, pleasures, convenience, prosperity and peace.  We are willing to give up the good things in this life for the best things.  We are willing to sacrifice all of life because life is not the most valuable thing to us – God is.
Church, Satan has been defeated.  Don’t let him deceive you that into thinking that he has won.  Your victory has been secured in Jesus Christ.  Rejoice and enjoy today victoriously.

Revelation 12:11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

This Sunday we will be meeting in person at the church building if you would like to join us in person at 10am.  And for those who will be staying at home, we will  be live-streaming on our Grace Community Church Topsail YouTube Channel. Push the blue link.  We can also be found at https://www.gracetopsail.com/

I look forward to worshipping the Lion and the Lamb, Jesus Christ, with you Sunday. - Steve