Monday: Satan’s Attack
From the start, Satan (see Revelation 12:4-5) sought to destroy Christ. Yet, in every attempt, Satan failed. At Christ’s birth, for instance, an angel warned Joseph and Mary about Herod’s vicious plans, and they fled into Egypt. Jesus faced Satan’s most enticing temptations in the wilderness with an “It is written,” and thus found protection in the Word of God. In His death on the cross, He revealed the magnitude of His love and delivered us from the penalty of sin’s condemnation. In His resurrection, as our living High Priest, He delivers us from the power of sin in our lives.
Read Revelation 12:4-6, Revelation 12:9; Ephesians 5:25-27, Ephesians 5:32; and Psalm 2:7-9 and define the following symbols:
Dragon
Woman
Male Child
Rod of Iron
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
In the Bible, a rod is a symbol of dominion or rulership. A rod of iron is a symbol of an unbreakable, all-powerful, invincible rulership. Jesus faced every single temptation that we experience, but He came off a conqueror. The devil is a defeated foe. Christ has triumphed over him in His life, death, and resurrection. Because Jesus has already defeated the devil on Calvary’s cross, we can be victorious, too. Christ’s victory over Satan was complete, but the great controversy between Christ and Satan is not over yet.
Nevertheless, when we accept by faith what Christ has done for us, our sin debt is canceled and our sins forgiven. We stand perfect before God, covered in Christ’s righteousness. As Paul writes about being “found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:9, NKJV). If we are forgiven, there is nothing that we can be accused of. Jesus conquered and overcame forever the worst that sin and evil could do to Him. He made the full assault on evil and overcame it. When we accept Jesus by faith, His victory is ours.
| Why is the assurance of salvation, because of Christ’s victory over Satan, so crucial to us? How can what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:9 be our own experience? |
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I don't play chess. I know the names of all the pieces, and their moves. I know the object of the game. But, given a situation where I have to play against someone who really knows the game, I would make all the right moves, but quickly lose the game. Having seen "real" players play chess, I have seen the importance of strategy. The game is played with a strategy in mind. One of the best strategies is where you make the other player think that you are using a particular strategy, when in fact you are using another. You make the player concentrate on what they think is important while you are surreptitiously ambushing them.
Satan knows how to play chess in our lives, and he knows that he can easily fool us into concentrating on something we perceive as important when in fact he is quietly slipping into our lives and taking control of us.
I recall a sermon by the late CD Brooks in which he said "the devil is the master of the diversionary tactic. He keeps us occupied with the cares of the world, all the while the end of the world is rushing upon us"
Yes Maurice, you‘re absolutely right about the second part of your post.
Which reminds me of another board game called Stratego, played very often in our family and requiring strategic abilities.
The objective of this game is to find and capture the opponent's Flag, or to capture so many enemy pieces that the opponent cannot make any further moves, rendering one unable to protect one‘s flag.
And this is exactly what the devil is up to in our lives as Christians -- to weaken our faith and rob our trust in God and make us completely defenseless.
That‘s why the assurance of salvation plus the knowledge of God’s word, and a life founded on faith, is paramount in obtaining reassurance that we are never left alone without God‘s grace and His shield to checkmate the enemy, just as Jesus had done after 40 days in the desert.
Yes, the dragon was very determined to destroy Christ. He knew Christ had come to reclaim for the human race the dominion he (satan) claimed as his territory, wrested from Adam when his sophistry caused Adam to sin. With fiendish energy he sought to make Christ sin, knowing if he could get Christ to sin, that would make Jesus subject to him, and earth with its inhabitants would be under his (satan's) control forever.
Yes! Christ defeated Satan's attempts every time. Not even once, did sin mar His record. He lived a perfect, human life, by the power from His Father, not by His own human strength.
His sacrifice on the cross is all sufficient to forgive every and all sin for every person on earth.
But not all are forgiven, not even everyone who professes to be a Christian. Why?
Don't they want to give up certain sins?
Part of the three angel's message is to rid ourselves of sin, for those who are living in sin have some pretty awful things declared for their future. It is urgent for us to send our sins before hand to judgment to be covered by the blood of the Lamb, and by God's grace to walk in newness of life.
How can we do this?
We must come to Christ and He will give us the spirit of repentance. For repentance is a prerequisite for forgiveness.
When we accept by faith what Christ has done for us, it leads us to repentance, and a turning from sin.
We don't want to hold on to any sins, for if left unrepented of, and unconfessed, they will rise to stand against us.
But if they are confessed in repentance and our lives placed into the hands of our Savior, and we are walking with Him, they will not stand against us, for they are forgiven, and Christ will present us before the Father in His perfect righteousness.
There is no such thing as once saved always saved in our earthly journey. But as long as we place our faith in Jesus, in humble repentance place our lives in His hands, we can have the assurance of salvation, for "He is able to save to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25)
It's His work in us. He leads to repentance. It's His forgiveness and cleansing power. But the choice is still ours. When we chose Him, we can fully trust in His promises and live for Him with courage and conviction.
This is a miracle so simple to happen, and it is the start point for any good change in us, it is the beginning of the ultimate cure, it represents the chance to fight this cancer, these dying cells, this degenerative disease! The acceptance of God's sacrifice for us has a name! And His name is marvellous, LOVE, life! Please, let us accept the solution for all of our troubles, physical, emotional, spiritual! There is a START POINT for a new life, a chance given NOW, for you and me! Just accept!
"Why is the assurance of salvation, because of Christ’s victory over Satan, so crucial to us? "
Because without the assurance we attain through our relationship with Christ, heeding His warnings, and fixating our minds on the promises that follow, we easily succumb, become discouraged, and then doubt sets in.
At this point we can slip further, or we can say to ourselves, Why am I discouraged; why am I so sad? And then like David we recognize that we've lost hope in God. And then we can turn around, face Him on our knees and say, I shall praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. Psalms 42:11.