Post by Admin on Aug 11, 2014 14:20:15 GMT -6
SATAN A DEFEATED ENEMY
JESUS’ VICTORY OVER THE ENEMY
FIRST OF FOUR PART STUDY
“So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, you will be punished. You are singled out from all the domestic and wild animals of the whole earth to be cursed. You will grove in the dust as long as you live, crawling along on your belly. From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)
• Satan is our enemy. He will do anything he can to get us to follow his evil, deadly path. “You will strike his heel” refers to Satan’s repeated attempts to defeat Christ during his life on earth. “He will crush your head” refers to Satan’s defeat when Christ rose from the dead. A strike to the heel is not deadly, but a crushing blow to the head is. God early on revealed his plan to defeat Satan and offer the world salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ.
“Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit to go into the wilderness, where the Devil tempted him for forty days. He ate nothing all that time and was very hungry…” Read Luke 4:1-14
• Not always does the Holy Spirit lead us to peaceful situations, He led Jesus into the wilderness for a long and difficult time of testing, and he may also lead us into difficult situations as well. When we face trials first make sure we have not brought them upon ourselves through sin or unwise choices. If we find sin confess and repent right away and you will be forgiven, however if you find no sin, then ask God for strength as we face temptation following faithfully where the Holy Spirit leads us.
• Often temptation comes after a high point in our spiritual life just as it did for Elijah (1 Kings 18-19) Satan chooses the time for his attacks, be on guard in times of victory just as you would in times of discouragement. Matthew 4:1 tells us how Satan tempts us when we’re vulnerable.
• Satan is a real being, a created but rebellious fallen angel; he is not a symbol or an idea. Satan not only tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, but he also tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus was a prime target for Satan’s temptations, as he succeeded with Adam and Eve he hoped to succeed with Jesus also.
• Just like Jesus used Scripture to counter Satan’s attacks we can too! To use the Scriptures effectively though we must have faith in God’s promises, because Satan also knows Scripture and is able to twist it to suit his purposes. Obeying the Scriptures is more important than simply have a verse to quote, so read them daily and apply them to life. Then and only then will the “sword” remain sharp.
“Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. And the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and True. For he judges fairly and then goes to war… Read Revelation 19:-11-21, 20:1-3, 5-10
• Heaven opened and Jesus appeared not as a Lamb but as a warrior on a white horse (victory). First He came as a lamb to be the sacrifice for sin, but He will return as conqueror and king to execute judgment (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). His first coming brought forgiveness; his second coming will bring judgment. The world is waiting for the King to ride onto the field.
• Satan’s power is not eternal, he will meet his doom. He began his evil work of temptations in the Garden of Eden and continues today, but he will be destroyed when he is thrown into the lake of fire. He will be released from the bottomless pit (“his prison” Revelation 20:7) but will never be released from the lake of fire. Never to be a threat to anyone ever again.
Satan was the reason for redemption. There could not be redemption without defeating Satan. Jesus’ victor over Satan was threefold.
1. There had to be victory in the earth walk
• God had to come himself
• The Incarnation was the masterstroke of strategy
• God invaded the sense world where natural man lived
• Jesus won the first combat – Luke 4:1-15
• Jesus definitely won! Matthew 4:23-24
2. There was victory in the sacrifice
• “In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.” Colossian 2:15
• “Because God’s children are human beings-made of flesh and blood-Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death.” Hebrew 2:14
3. There is victory in the new creation
• Satan’s most humiliating defeat was to be made subordinate to men who were once helplessly his sin slaves.
• “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10
• “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Realities of the new creation
• The new creation is an absolute master over the enemy. We have been given the right to wear the WHOLE armor of God – Ephesians 6:11
• God’s nature dwells within us
• Satan never figured on having to deal face to face with God Himself in dealing with men. First he had to deal with Jesus, now he has to deal with us!
• When Satan deals with the new creation, he is dealing with the third person of the Holy Trinity, we are sons filled with the Holy Spirit
• “And because you Gentiles have become his children God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.” Galatians 4:6-7
• “Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” 1 John 3:2
Heavenly Father, in the Holy Name of Jesus and through the Holy Spirit which dwells in me, I come to you for your divine help as we defeat your greatest enemy Satan and his evil spirits.
By the authority you have given to me I cast them deep into hell and bind them there forever!
Heavenly Father out of pure love for You and in the Holy Name of Jesus, I give thanks for the inheritance that You promised us. In Jesus Holy Name I pray. Amen
Tomorrow we will be focusing Satan and why he will never experience redemption
JESUS’ VICTORY OVER THE ENEMY
FIRST OF FOUR PART STUDY
“So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, you will be punished. You are singled out from all the domestic and wild animals of the whole earth to be cursed. You will grove in the dust as long as you live, crawling along on your belly. From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)
• Satan is our enemy. He will do anything he can to get us to follow his evil, deadly path. “You will strike his heel” refers to Satan’s repeated attempts to defeat Christ during his life on earth. “He will crush your head” refers to Satan’s defeat when Christ rose from the dead. A strike to the heel is not deadly, but a crushing blow to the head is. God early on revealed his plan to defeat Satan and offer the world salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ.
“Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit to go into the wilderness, where the Devil tempted him for forty days. He ate nothing all that time and was very hungry…” Read Luke 4:1-14
• Not always does the Holy Spirit lead us to peaceful situations, He led Jesus into the wilderness for a long and difficult time of testing, and he may also lead us into difficult situations as well. When we face trials first make sure we have not brought them upon ourselves through sin or unwise choices. If we find sin confess and repent right away and you will be forgiven, however if you find no sin, then ask God for strength as we face temptation following faithfully where the Holy Spirit leads us.
• Often temptation comes after a high point in our spiritual life just as it did for Elijah (1 Kings 18-19) Satan chooses the time for his attacks, be on guard in times of victory just as you would in times of discouragement. Matthew 4:1 tells us how Satan tempts us when we’re vulnerable.
• Satan is a real being, a created but rebellious fallen angel; he is not a symbol or an idea. Satan not only tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, but he also tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus was a prime target for Satan’s temptations, as he succeeded with Adam and Eve he hoped to succeed with Jesus also.
• Just like Jesus used Scripture to counter Satan’s attacks we can too! To use the Scriptures effectively though we must have faith in God’s promises, because Satan also knows Scripture and is able to twist it to suit his purposes. Obeying the Scriptures is more important than simply have a verse to quote, so read them daily and apply them to life. Then and only then will the “sword” remain sharp.
“Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. And the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and True. For he judges fairly and then goes to war… Read Revelation 19:-11-21, 20:1-3, 5-10
• Heaven opened and Jesus appeared not as a Lamb but as a warrior on a white horse (victory). First He came as a lamb to be the sacrifice for sin, but He will return as conqueror and king to execute judgment (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). His first coming brought forgiveness; his second coming will bring judgment. The world is waiting for the King to ride onto the field.
• Satan’s power is not eternal, he will meet his doom. He began his evil work of temptations in the Garden of Eden and continues today, but he will be destroyed when he is thrown into the lake of fire. He will be released from the bottomless pit (“his prison” Revelation 20:7) but will never be released from the lake of fire. Never to be a threat to anyone ever again.
Satan was the reason for redemption. There could not be redemption without defeating Satan. Jesus’ victor over Satan was threefold.
1. There had to be victory in the earth walk
• God had to come himself
• The Incarnation was the masterstroke of strategy
• God invaded the sense world where natural man lived
• Jesus won the first combat – Luke 4:1-15
• Jesus definitely won! Matthew 4:23-24
2. There was victory in the sacrifice
• “In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.” Colossian 2:15
• “Because God’s children are human beings-made of flesh and blood-Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death.” Hebrew 2:14
3. There is victory in the new creation
• Satan’s most humiliating defeat was to be made subordinate to men who were once helplessly his sin slaves.
• “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10
• “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Realities of the new creation
• The new creation is an absolute master over the enemy. We have been given the right to wear the WHOLE armor of God – Ephesians 6:11
• God’s nature dwells within us
• Satan never figured on having to deal face to face with God Himself in dealing with men. First he had to deal with Jesus, now he has to deal with us!
• When Satan deals with the new creation, he is dealing with the third person of the Holy Trinity, we are sons filled with the Holy Spirit
• “And because you Gentiles have become his children God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.” Galatians 4:6-7
• “Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” 1 John 3:2
Heavenly Father, in the Holy Name of Jesus and through the Holy Spirit which dwells in me, I come to you for your divine help as we defeat your greatest enemy Satan and his evil spirits.
By the authority you have given to me I cast them deep into hell and bind them there forever!
Heavenly Father out of pure love for You and in the Holy Name of Jesus, I give thanks for the inheritance that You promised us. In Jesus Holy Name I pray. Amen
Tomorrow we will be focusing Satan and why he will never experience redemption