The Victory of God, Pt. 2

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Most of us go about our day without too much conflict. But beneath the surface, whether we know it or not, there’s a battle waged against us. Pastor Nick Gatzke reveals the origins of this spiritual warfare and what victory looks like, from the earliest pages of the Old Testament all the way to Revelation.

In all of these cases of victory in the Old Testament, in all of them, the people that lived by faith saw God’s victory. And when it came to their deaths, they did not die in defeat. They died in that victory. And time fails, as we can tell of the victories of God. over Egypt and Pharaoh through Moses or Joshua at Jericho or Gideon or Samson or Deborah and the judges or God’s power over the foreign king Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel. In all of these instances and many more, God displays

glory and power and might and he does so through victory. But as you move to the end of the Old Testament and toward the New Testament, we see that God’s people are again in rebellion against him. And he, as a result, is silent toward them. The victories of the past feel like they are long ago. Satan again has his clutch on the people of God. And the Pharisees and the Sadducees ran the religious rituals at the temple in Jerusalem, but God was not present. The world was a very dark place. And once again, it seemed like Satan had won the war. It looked like the world was his. It felt like all was lost. But then came a light in the darkness.

Jesus and his life and ministry constituted in so many ways the victory of God in the world that was dark and sinful. Let me give you just three quick scriptural examples of how this is true, the ministry of Jesus being victory. It says in Luke chapter 11 that Jesus had cast out a demon and that the Pharisees were accusing him of casting that demon out by the power of a false god, Beelzebub. And Jesus says this to them in Luke 11, verse 20. But if it is by the finger of God, that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are safe. But where one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor, in which he trusted, and he divides his spoils. It’s a brilliant analogy to say that Jesus disarms the strong man, Satan. He takes what he had a hold of, namely men and women, boys and girls, and he claims victory in their lives for God forever.

So, in fact, Jesus was so powerful that every single time on earth that he cast out a demon, any time he healed a sick person, any time he proclaimed the good news of the forgiveness of sins for Jews and Gentiles alike, and someone put their faith in him and received new life, every one of those events was a counterattack in the cosmic war between God and Satan. every single one of them constituted a victory of God. The same is true in your life. Every single time, the power of Jesus is manifested in you as you resist sin, as you do good works, as you depend upon God again, as you share the gospel. This is the victory of God in your life. We’ll come back to that.

John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” The power of the world is strong, and the power of Jesus is stronger. He has overcome the world. Matthew 12:20, referring to Jesus: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory.” The ministry of Jesus brings justice to victory for those who are separated from God, from those who are wounded because of the world. those who are entrenched or meshed in their own sin because in a gentle, loving fashion, this loving Savior will be victorious.

And so we see Jesus secures the victory of God, which all of his people will enjoy. Jesus secures the victory of God, and all of his followers will enjoy that victory and enjoy it forever. Not only does the ministry of Jesus procure the victory of God, but so does the cross and the resurrection of Jesus finally give this victory of God. And it does so in multiple ways. Here’s just two. Let me read the text to you with almost no explanation. They’re self-explanatory. The first one. is that the cross finalizes God’s victory because our sins are nailed to that cross and our debt for those sins is canceled. Colossians 2:13-15: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (This is war language right here.) The victory of God for your life is displayed in the fact that your sin and its debt is canceled

because of the forgiveness that he gives you of the cross of Christ. Victory. The second one is that death and the devil will be destroyed. as a result of Jesus’ death and his resurrection. Hebrews chapter two, since therefore the children share in the flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all of those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. The cross of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus destroys death and the devil and the implications for you and me are profound. Let’s talk about them. Jesus secures

the victory of God. which will be enjoyed by all of those who are his followers. Implication number one for you and for me is that you can have new life in Jesus. It’s the message of the gospel. It’s the message of the whole story. Victory is God’s, which means you can have new life. Some of you feel so burdened by your sin. Some of you feel ashamed by what you’ve done. Some of you don’t like the person you’ve become and you don’t even know really how you got there. but it’s been months or years in the making. Some of you think about what you did last night and you’d rather forget it. But the good news of the victory of God is that you can have new life in him. And it’s the life to the full. And it’s achieved through your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Implication number two. is that you can be victorious over the sin in your life. Romans chapter 6 tells us that we are no longer slaves to sin if we are united to Christ. Slaves don’t do the things that they want to do. They do the things they’re compelled to do. And Romans tells us that all the world is compelled or enslaved to sin, which means we have to sin even though we don’t want to sin. But through Jesus, you can be set free from that kind of slavery. Martin Luther was once asked how he overcame the devil. And he replied, well, when the devil comes knocking on the door of my heart and asks, who lives here? The Lord Jesus goes to the door and says, Martin Luther used to live here, but he moved out. Now I live here. And the devil, seeing the nail prints on his hands, and his pierced side takes flight immediately. You can have victory over your sin because of Jesus Christ.

Implication number three is that you are at war, but the outcome is clear. I can’t emphasize this enough for our times because so many of us go through our lives without any appreciation for the seriousness of what is really happening around us. We entertain ourselves to death. Our spiritual lives can be viewed as simply meant for our enjoyment or for our encouragement or for our pleasure. And those things are important and they’re good. But you are at war. You’re at war and some of us are sleeping on the side of the battlefield without any recognition of the seriousness of what is actually happening. Some of us only seek spiritual convenience when it fits into lesser priorities of life. Some of us fall prey to the temptation for personal preference. But the language of your spiritual life is fierce and it’s warlike. Here’s a couple of examples. 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” That is war. Ephesians 6:12: “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” That is war. James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” That is war. You’re in the middle of a war. Every sin you resist, is an act of war against Satan. And every temptation he puts before you is his act of war upon you. Every person you share the gospel with, is a counterattack in this war. Every Sunday that you gather to worship with your church is a proclamation of the victory of God in this war. Every prayer that you pray in dependence upon God is part of this war. Every one of them is an act of war against Satan. But we know the outcome.

Implication number four. True hope and faith rest in the outcome of victory. Let me explain. Jesus has already defeated Satan. The victory has been won on the cross, but this victory has not yet been expressed in the full, and that’s why the war still goes on. Even though the battle rages, the outcome is secure. God promised victory in Genesis 3, verse 15, and with the empty tomb and the offspring of Eve has crushed the head of Satan. Jesus is the victor, which means that all of those who are his will also be victorious. God’s given you a glimpse into your eternal future. And if your faith is in Christ, and yet the war wages on, what can this earth do to you? What can humans do to you? What can disease do to you? Have hope and faith and courage because God wins. And if God wins, that means all of you who are his will win. And so have faith.

Implication number five. The faith that you live by better be good enough to die by. Which side are you going to be on? That’s the question of life. Will you follow yourself? Will you follow your ongoing desires? Or will you follow King Jesus? Because there is no Switzerland in this war. There’s no neutral ground. And the call for each and every one of us, and the call for you, and a call that I hope that you heed, is to surrender yourself to God today. Jesus secures the victory, which will be enjoyed by the people of God forever.

That victory is achieved, but it will be fully celebrated one day. And I want to paint the picture for you. Revelation chapter 17 through 20 gives us a picture of the final battle. And God versus Satan. And even though the victory was promised in Genesis 3 and the victory was secured on the cross, the final expression of the victory is seen here. And so let me read for you and if it helps you. Imagine the severity of it. Close your eyes and just think upon these things.

In Revelation chapter 19, the vision of victory is this. It’s severe, it’s gruesome, it’s powerful, it’s majestic, and it’s glorious. John writes, then I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse. And the one sitting on it is called faithful and true. And in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire. And on his head are many diadems. And he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood. And a name by which he is called is the word of God. And the armies of heaven. arrayed in fine white linen, white and pure. We’re following him on white horses. And from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. And he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. And on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And then I saw an angel standing in the sun with a loud voice. He called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, come gather for the great supper of God to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and the riders, the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great. And I saw the beast. And the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he had deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse. And all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

And then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan. And he bound him for a thousand years. And he threw him into a pit and he shut it and he sealed it over him so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. And after that, he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God. And those who had not… the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. And the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This was the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power. and they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison, and he will come out and deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and they surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were. And they will be tormented day and night forever.

And God will have his victory. Jesus secures it. And all of those who are his will enjoy that victory forever. So have faith. Be faithful. Wage war and trust to see what God will do.

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This transcript was generated using AI transcription technology and reviewed for accuracy, but may contain errors. Please refer to the original audio for precise wording.