Reading: The Cross of Christ, pg. 241-246
And 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 brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 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. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Revelation 12.10-12
The message of the book of Revelation is that Jesus Christ has defeated Satan and will one day destroy him altogether. It is in the light of these certainties that we are to confront his continuing malicious activity, whether physical (through persecution), intellectual (through deception), or moral (through corruption). How then, can we enter into Christ’s victory and prevail over the devil’s power? How can we be numbered among the “overcomers”? How can we hope to throw the enemy back, not only in our own lives but in the world he has usurped?
First, we are told to resist the devil. “Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” Again, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (1 Peter 5.8-9, Jas 4.7) We are not to be afraid of him. Much of his show of power is bluff, since he was overthrown at the cross, and we need the courage to call his bluff. Clad in the armor of God, we can take our stand against him. (Eph 6.10-17)
Second, we are told to proclaim Jesus Christ. The preaching of the cross is still the power of God. It is by proclaiming Christ crucified and risen that we will turn people “from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26.18), and so the kingdom of Satan will retreat before the advancing kingdom of God. No other message has the same inherent force. No other name is defended and honored by the Holy Spirit in the same way. | Stott, pg. 245,246
How can the average Christian proclaim Jesus Christ? In what ways are you tangibly able to do that at work? At home?
Lord, you are the great Overcomer. Let us hold fast to your victory, knowing that even though our enemy is real, he is defeated. Let us live like overcomers, proclaiming Christ and him crucified as the wisdom and power of God. Amen