VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIVING

THE DEVIL IS DESTROYED

C. THE POWER OF THE CROSS

The cross has power to redeem man and restore him to his divinely appointed
place of authority. This is a wonderful truth that threads its way all through the Holy
Scriptures. We already have seen that God's plan for a sacrificial lamb (as an offering for
sin) was in His purpose before the world began.

1. The Cross Pictured In The Passover

The Passover played an important part in bringing about the release of the
children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. They had suffered as slaves for some 400 the
Egyptians.
The devil, sensing this, stirred up Pharaoh to kill all the male children of the
Israelites (Exo 1:15,16) — just as he would do some fourteen centuries later before the
birth of Christ.

It is of note that the Egyptian Pharaoh wore a gold crown. On the front of it was
the image of a deadly cobra serpent, poised, ready to strike death. This shows us Pharaoh
and the people in his kingdom were under the crown of Satan (governed by the devil).
This is an accurate picture of how the whole world lived until Jesus came. We
were slaves of sin, in bondage and under satanic government.

a. Satan: The Destroyer. Through Moses, God told each Israelite family to kill a
lamb and place its blood upon the I frame of the door which led into their house. Then
Moses said:
"When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see
the blood upon the top and sides of the doorframe. The Lord then will pass over that door.
He will not allow the destroyer I to come into your houses and kill your first-born''
(Exo 12:23 smf).
Satan is the "destroyer." From the fall of man to the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
the power of death was in the hands of the devil. In Revelation 9:11 he is called Abaddon
(Hebrew) and Apollyon (Greek). Both terms mean "destroyer." In the words of Jesus,
"The thief [the devil] comes only to steal and kill and destroy'' (John 10:10).

The Pharaoh had refused God's words of warning, and therefore Egypt faced a
terrible judgment. Through it they would be made willing to let the Israelites go.
That "passover" night. God was going to use the devil's power of death for His
own purposes. It was to be a dark night indeed — a night of death and destruction.

b. Blood: The Protection. The presence of the Lord protected those "under the
blood" from the destroyer.
When the Lord saw the blood on the doorframe of a house, the Lord Himself
"passed over" the door His presence overshadowed the family within and kept them
from all harm.

One wonders how each family member must have felt that night as the evening
shadows cast a deathly gloom across the land. Perhaps the Psalmist best expressed it in
his words some centuries later:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the
Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and place of safety — my God, in whom
I will trust.' Surely he will save you... from deadly danger.
"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his -wings you will find refuge...
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the dangers of the day...
"Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, it will
not come near you. Only with your eyes will you see the punishment of the wicked
(Ps 91:1-8 smf).

Yes, for the Israelites, protection from the destroyer on that dark night of death
was blood — the blood of a perfect, little lamb! Its blood was splashed on the door-frame
in the form of a cross. It was a symbol of death, but it also was the gateway to life.
What a vivid picture of our salvation. Jesus is God's sacrificial lamb for us, and
His cross becomes our doorway to eternal life.
Truly, the blood and the cross provide all the protection we will ever need against
all the forces of evil. The devil's power over our lives has been broken at Calvary. Christ
has won the victory, and we need no longer fear.

2. Jesus Has All Power And Authority

After His resurrection, Jesus plainly put this truth in these words: "All power in
heaven and on earth has been given unto me. Therefore go and make disciples in all
nations.. "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt
28:18-20 smf).

The word "power" means power to rule, to take authority and have dominion.
Now if Jesus has all power and authority, that means the devil has none.
Through His death on the cross, Jesus dethroned the devil and took away his
power of death. Jesus strongly stated this truth again to the Apostle John in his heavenly
vision.
"Don't be afraid, lam the first and the last. I died, but see, I am alive for
evermore. I have the keys [authority] of death and the grave'' (Rev 1:17,18 smf).
D. WE CAN LIVE IN VICTORY!
1. Jesus Gave His Disciples Authority Over The Devil!
Not only does Jesus have all power and authority, but He has given that power to
His disciples — of all ages!
"The seventy disciples returned with great joy. 'Lord,' they said, 'even the demons
submit to us when we use your name.'
"And Jesus said to them, 'Yes, I saw Satan falling from heaven like a lightning
flash. And I have given you authority over all of the power of the enemy. You have
power to crush underfoot scorpions and serpents [demonic powers]. Nothing shall harm
you'" (Luke 10:17-19 smf).
"These signs shall follow those who believe: They shall use the authority of my
name to cast out demons... " (Mark 16:17 smf).
"Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you " (Jas 4:7).
2. Don't Retreat!
Yes, we are sons and daughters in the family of God. We have the privilege and
authority of Christ's Name. Why then are so many Christians living defeated lives?
Where is our victory in Christ? The words sound good, but where are the works?
The answer can be found in one of Peter's Epistles. He was writing to those who
soon would be facing a time of great distress and severe testing. His words, therefore, are
very personal, powerful and practical;
"Be watchful and careful. Your enemy the devil prowls and roams around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour — to tear apart and eat. Be firm in the faith
and resist him..." (I Pet 5:8,9 smf).
a. A Phony Lion. Carefully note that the above scripture does not say the devil is
a roaring lion. It says he roams around like a roaring lion. In other words, he is acting like
something he is not. Actually, he is only a fake or phony lion. Or, as the Chinese would
say, "a paper tiger."
Who is the real lion? Jesus is!
The Scriptures refer to Him as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev 5:5). Because
we abide in Him, and He in us, we also share in His "lion-nature": We who believe on
Jesus become "lion-like."
"The wicked flee when no one is chasing them. The righteous, however, are as
bold as a lion " (Prov 28:1 smf)
"Now when the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John, they were amazed.
They could easily see that they were common men without learning. Then they realized
that they had been with Jesus'' (Acts 4:13 smf).
b. Don't Give Him Power. What are we trying to say? Simply this: The devil
can have only as much power over our lives as we allow him to take. He no longer
has the authority to control our attitudes and actions for his own purposes.
He will, however, take as much control as we will let him have. He cannot
overpower us anymore than he could have overpowered Adam and Eve. He will seek to
deceive us, however, in the same way he tempted them.
No, the devil is not a real lion. His roar, however, can be very loud and very long.
A roar cannot bite, but it can scare you.
If we retreat every time the devil roars, we will never learn how to stand firm in
the faith and resist him. If we never resist the devil, we will never see the tail-end of the
devil heading over the nearest hill.
c. Run Toward The Roar. A preacher from Africa told this story about lions.
When the lions go hunting, they are very clever. All the younger, strong lions gather
down-wind from the herd of animals they are going to attack. In this way, the animals do
not pick up the scent of the lion.
The old worn-out lions, whose teeth are almost gone, and who cannot run fast
enough to catch prey, are put upwind I where their scent and roar will frighten the
animals. Those who are frightened by the roar, run toward the young lions.
The animals who "run towards the roar" are safe and cannot be hurt by the old
lions. The animals who flee from the roar run into the trap and are injured or killed by
the strong younger lions.
The point is obvious. Don't run from your adversary the devil and his roarings,
Run toward the roar. Resist him and he will flee from you.
d. Seeds Of Deception. How does the devil roar his way into our daily lives? He
does so by way of our thoughts and feelings. He sows seeds of doubt and fear into the
ground of our hearts and minds. If he can tempt us to cultivate or nurture these seeds —
they will grow into very large weeds. When they do, our Christian life can be greatly
weakened, or even destroyed.
There are all kinds of seeds which the devil sows: seeds of doubt, fear,
disobedience, greed, lust, jealousy, pride, anger, resentment, self-pity and many more.
He will try to sow the same seed over and over again until some take root and
grow. Once the roots grow deep, it's hard to pull the weed out.
The devil will even deceive us into thinking it is a natural part of our life. We then
give in and put up with it, even though it may be painful to us — and to others. When we
do, the enemy has taken control over that part of our lives, even though he has no
authority to do so.
3. Resist The Devil!
a. Stand Firm In Faith. How then can the watchful Christian stand firm in the
faith and resist the devil? The same way Jesus did in His humanity while here on earth:
1) By the authority of God's Word;
2) By the power of God's Spirit.
We now know that the devil no longer has dominion or the right to rule over our
lives. The scepter is now in Jesus' hand, not that of the enemy. As we, by the Spirit, speak
out our confession of faith, "JESUS IS LORD!" — Satan must bend his knee and bow his
head. It is demon powers who will tremble in torment when we face them in the mighty
Name of Jesus.
b. Speak The Word In Faith. As we submit and come under the authority of
God's Word and God's Spirit, that authority comes upon us. We then speak that word as
follows:
1) To God in prayer;
2) In the confession of our mouth;
3) To the devil in reproof.
The Spirit Himself then moves to energize the word, and the enemy flees — along
with his lying thoughts and feelings.
We submit to God by filling our minds with His Word and our hearts with prayer.
For every wrong, evil, negative thought the enemy would sow into our minds, there is a
right, good, positive thought from God's Word.
The Scripture says we can "overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21). Every time
the devil seeks to give us a push in the wrong direction, we need to push him back—
twice as hard— with the truth and power of God's Word.
c. The Laugh Of Faith. It is true, we should not take our enemy lightly or
under-rate his ability. He is both smart and strong. Apart from God's Spirit and His
Word we will lose every battle. Satan can outsmart us every time. The Scripture says that
we are always to be aware of his clever tricks and schemes (2Cor 2:11).
However, while we are to respect the devil, we are not to fear him. In fact, we
can boldly oppose him in the strong Name of Jesus and be assured of victory.
Our enemy has a loud roar, but his is a big bluff. He will act like he is not hurt,
and even mock the Name of the Lord, hoping we will give up. If we respond with the
royal laugh of faith and press our attack, he will flee in fear.
There is a sense in which every Spirit-filled saint ought to have a gift of contempt
for the devil. He is very proud, and greatly dislikes being looked down upon. When we
really know who we are in Christ Jesus, we are in a position of high authority, and the
enemy is truly beneath our feet.
I believe Martin Luther came to a place in faith where he looked upon the devil in
that way. The story is told of how he awoke in the middle of a very dark night. There
wasn't even a candle in his room. As he turned over in his little cot, he saw the devil
standing in the corner.
Now, what would you do if you awoke tonight and found that Satan had come to
visit you? I asked that question of a fellow one time and he replied, "I would call the
preacher!"
That really wasn't the best answer he could have given. Martin Luther's response
was much different. He simply said to the devil, "Oh, it's you!" and rolled over and went
back to sleep.
d. Putting Principles Into Practice. A good friend of mine tells of a personal
experience which shows us how these royal principles work in practice. Here is the story
in his own words:
"After the Lord divinely healed me when I was a young Christian, I have always
been very healthy.
"However, one day about ten years ago I suddenly felt a terrible pain in the upper
part of my body.
"The pain grew worse, and I actually heard the voice of the devil saying, 'Cancer,
cancer, cancer.' For about six hours that was all I could hear: 'Cancer, cancer, you have
cancer!' I was terrified.
"I finally went to the Lord in prayer and said, 'Lord, do I have cancer?' The Lord
didn't answer me. Again I cried out, 'Lord, do I have cancer?' Then I heard the Lord laugh.
He was really laughing. He showed me how I had been fooled and deceived by the devil.
Satan had sown a lie in my heart.
"The next time I heard the word 'cancer,' I really got angry. I rose up and I said,
'Devil, I smite you with that cancer!' I have never had that pain again in my life. This is
the word of the Lord, friends. This is for real!"
e. You Are Free. Yes, faith rises up and resists, but unbelief gives up and accepts
the lies of the devil.
I am reminded of a little parrot at a Bible school in Argentina. His name was
Arturo. He was brought to the school when he was just a young bird. He was tied to his
perch by a little leather strap from his leg.
As Arturo grew into a full-sized bird, he would stretch his wings and try to fly
into the heavens. However, he could go no farther than the length of the strap before
being jerked back to his perch again. Arturo kept this up for several months. One day, he
finally gave up and folded his wings for the last time. He never tried to fly again.
At that time, Arturo's leather strap was cut. He was really free to fly away into the
heavens like any other bird, but he did not know this. He was deceived, and did not
believe or accept his freedom. Because of this, the story has a rather sad ending.
If only we could have gotten the truth of his freedom down into his little bird
brain, he might be alive today. As it was, an angry caretaker came after him with a club
for a foul deed he had done. Still thinking he could not fly away from his perch, Arturo
did not try to escape, and was struck dead!
How much more tragic is the truth of this story as it relates to some of us as
Christians. At Calvary, Jesus Christ — the Lion of Judah — defeated the devil and
stripped him of his power. We were set free from his dominion and given a place of
authority in the royal family of God.
Many, however, are so used to living in fear, doubt and defeat they can't accept
the freedom which is rightfully theirs. They allow the one Jesus destroyed, to destroy
them.
Rise up and fly away, oppressed one. The heavens watch in wonder and
amazement that you submit to that which you should resist. Your strap of bondage has
been severed. Fly free!

E. CONCLUDING CHALLENGE
Perhaps, dear reader, your heart has been touched by the truth of these words. For
the first time you are beginning to believe that life can be different. And it is true, your lot
in life is not forever fixed. Things can change, and you can play a part in that change.
You don't have to give in and give way to the lies of the devil. In Christ Jesus you
have the power and authority to stand firm and resist his attacks on your heart and mind.
You are a son or daughter in the beloved family of God. The Lord does love you,
and desires that you take the scepter in your hand and confess the liberty which is
rightfully yours. No longer do you need to shrink back in fear or hang your head in shame.
Jesus came to set you free, and he whom the Son sets free is free indeed!
"...the devils also believe, and tremble" (Jas 2:19). It is demon powers who
tremble when you stand fast and confess the Lordship of Jesus.
It is the devil who bends his knee and bows his head, for Christ has won the
victory. The power of the enemy has been broken forever. THE DEVIL HAS BEEN
DESTROYED!