CHRIST HAS CONQUORED
SATAN
& HIS EVIL WORKS
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
Satan
is a liar, a thief, and a killer. He is the original Sinner, Deceiver, Murderer
and God hater. He is called the Devil which means Liar. The word Satan
means enemy or opposer. He is the Enemy of God and man!
Jesus Christ said, “He was a Murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth because there is No truth in him.
When he speaketh a Lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a Liar, and the
father of it.” (John 8:44).
He deceived our first parents, encouraging them to sin against their Creator, thereby bringing death and destruction upon the entire human race! “And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desired to make one wise she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Gen. 3:4-6)
SERPENT’S HEAD CRUSHED!
Through His vicarious DEATH
for us on the Cross, Jesus Christ fulfilled Almighty God’s judgment against Lucifer:
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her
SEED. It shall bruise (crush) thy head and thou shalt bruise His heel.”
(Genesis 3:15)
This is the law
of the first mention of the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ, by which He
was declared God the Son, and therefore SINLESS. Through His substitutionary death,
Jesus met the righteous demands of Divine Justice against lost humanity. All
the sins of mankind from Adam until Christ’s Return have been paid for, but only
those who desire Him and come through repentance and faith receive God’s Pardon
through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Jesus said: “And the
seventy returned again with JOY, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto
us through Thy Name. And He said unto them, I beheld SATAN, as lightening fall
from Heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and
over all the power of the Enemy.” (Luke 10: 17,18)
“When the even was come,
they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out
the spirits with His Word, and healed all that were sick:
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself
took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses.” (Matt. 8:16,17)
“How God anointed Jesus
of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good and
healing all who were OPPRESSED of the devil for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)
JESUS’ BLOOD CLEANSES ALL SINS!
St. John wrote: “And these things I write unto you that your joy might be full. This then is the message which we have heard of Him and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth;
“But
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 cleanseth us from all SIN. If we say that
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we CONFESS
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
“Again, a new commandment I write unto you which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the True Light now shineth.” (1 John 1:4-10; 2:1,2)
St. Paul writes: “According as He hath chosen
us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will to the praise of
the glory of His grace, whereas He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.
“In whom we have Redemption through
His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;
wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known
unto us the MYSTERY of His will, according to His good pleasure which He
hath purposed in Himself. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the
counsel of His own will.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom after that ye believed, ye were SEALED with that Holy Spirit of Promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1: 4-14)
IN CHRIST: NO CONDEMNATION!
“There is therefore now No Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me FREE from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8: 1,2)
The Bible says: “Ye shall
know the truth and the Truth shall make you free. Jesus answered them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth ever. If
the Son [A1] therefore shall make you Free, ye shall be
Free indeed.” (John 8: 32-36)
Jesus Christ stated: “Come
unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest. Take
My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye
shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt.
11:28-30)
“All that the Father
giveth Me shall come to Me and him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast
out. For I came down from Heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him
who sent Me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all He
hath given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day.
“Verily, verily, I say
unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am the Bread of Life.” (John 8: 37-40; 47, 48)
Jesus said: “Peace I give unto you. My PEACE I leave with you: not as
the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid.” (John 14: 27).
POWER, LOVE, SOUND MIND!
Writing to young Timothy, St. Paul reminded him of the call of God he had received by the ‘laying on of his hands’. He must not be ashamed, but be strong and not fearful because God would use him:
“Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God, who hath Saved us, and Called us with an holy calling not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
“But is now made manifest by the appearing
of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life
and immortality to light through the gospel. Hold fast the form of sound words,
which thou hast heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (2
Tim. 1: 8-10, 13, 14)
Here is the profound formula for spiritual,
mental, and physical wellness which St. Paul lived by, and gave to a young and fearful
Timothy: “For
God hath not given us the spirit of Fear but of Power and of Love and a sound
Mind.” (2 Timothy 1: 7).
The Devil uses fear,
condemnation, and anxiety to steal, kill and destroy! It is a potent weapon in
his hands. Fear is a destructive, negative, and evil force that can cripple a
person who does not recognize it as such. St. Paul made it clear that God
is not the author of Fear.
God gives us LOVE because
He is pure LOVE. Through His amazing love, He gave us the amazing Gift of
Eternal Life though the substitutional, vicarious Death of His Son Jesus Christ
on Mount Calvary!
Nothing is greater than Love: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity (agape love), these three: but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Cor. 13:13). Jesus does not give Fear. He gives us Power over fear. He gives us His Love and with it comes Peace!
Jesus said: “Peace I give unto you. My Peace I leave with you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14: 27).
He loves us all with an
amazing love that supersedes any earthly love. It is agape love
directly from His heart to ours! The Bible states: “For God so loved the world
that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved.” (John 3: 16,17)
“Let your moderation be known unto all
men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known unto God
and the Peace of God which passeth all understanding flood your hearts and mind
through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 5-7)
“Strengthened with all
might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with
joyfulness. Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated
us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have Redemption through His Blood, even the forgiveness of
sins.
“And having made PEACE through the Blood of His Cross, by Him, I say to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven.” (Col. 1:13,20); “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out if the way, nailing it to the Cross. And having SPOILED principalities and powers, He made a show of then openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Col. 2: 14,15)
CHRIST SPOILED SATAN’S KINGDOM!
St. Paul compares Jesus Christ’s
victorious death and resurrection to a great king returning to his capital city
with his army following in their chariots and the streets lined with people
welcoming him home. With his hands tied to a leash and almost naked, the enemy
king is running behind the King’s Chariot, in which lays his crown and armour!
Satan’s kingdom was shaken and
the whole world was shaken, by Christ’s glorious and eternal VICTORY on
Golgotha. The empty tomb of
Jesus still removes all fear of death for believers in our precious Lord and
Saviour!
The Apostle declares: “That
I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being made conformable unto His death, if by any means I might attain
unto the resurrection of the dead. I PRESS toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 10,11.14)
“Blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us and took
it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities
and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Col. 2: 14,15)
The Bible says: “For
this Purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might DESTROY the works of the
Devil.” (1 John 3:8). Jesus said, “…They that be whole need not a
physician but they that are sick…for I am not come to all the righteous, but
sinners to repentance.” (Matthew 9: 12,13)
“And Jesus went about
all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel
of the Kingdom, and Healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
“But when He saw the
multitudes, He was moved with Compassion on them,
because they fainted and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Then saveth He unto His disciples, The Harvest truly is plenteous, but the
labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send
forth labourers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9: 35-38).
Jesus is still moved
with compassion for the multitudes who still sin heathen darkness. He still
invites: “Come NOW, and let is reason together, saith the Lord: though your
sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson,
they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18).
“Behold, I stand at the door (hearts’ door) and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20).
OUR HOPE: CHRIST’S RETURN!
St. Paul stated: “For
the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world: Looking for that blessed HOPE, and
the glorious appearance of Jesus Christ, who Gave Himself for us, that He might
Redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar (purchased)
people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:11-14)
“And this Gospel
of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness and them shall
the end come. For as the lightning cometh out of the east. And shineth even unto
the west, so shall also the Coming of the Lord be. Watch therefore: for ye know
not hour your Lord doth come.
“But know this that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched. And would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.” (Matt. 24: 14, 27, 42-44)
“Behold I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in Victory!
"O death where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is SIN; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor.15:51-57)
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them that are asleep.
"For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thes. 4: 13-18)
"For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." (Phil.3:2-,21)
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Heb. 9: 27,28).
HE HEARD ME & DELIVERED ME!
The psalmist wrote: “I will bless the Lord at all time: His praise will continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.
“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard Him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.
“The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,
and His ears are open to their cry. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth,
and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
“The Lord is nigh unto them that ate of a broken spirit; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” (Psalms 34: 1-19). Amen.
